KRG Delegation to Visit

Prime Minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani is due to arrive in Tehran today for an official visit.   The premier is to be accompanied by a delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, according to a Saturday statement by Iran’s consulate in Erbil, as cited by Kurdish media.  The visit is part of Barzani’s diplomatic efforts to engage in dialogue with other countries on political, economic, security and cultural issues. The consulate said the visit, being the first since the independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, is regarded as a “positive” step. The Kurdistan Region held an independence referendum in September. It was opposed by Baghdad and the region’s neighbors, including Iran.  The KRG has said it “respects” Iraq’s Federal Court’s ruling declaring the referendum unconstitutional. Iran has reopened all its border crossings with Iraq’s Kurdistan in response to positive developments that have helped ease the tensions over the vote.