Davutoglu heads for Arbil

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will today depart for Arbil, where he will meet with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani. Diplomatic sources said that Davutoglu would urge Barzani to cooperate in Syria’s transition process, instead of unilateral moves on Iraqi Kurds such as collaboration with the Democratic Union of Kurdistan and providing Syrian Kurds with military training. According to sources, Davutoglu will also ask Barzani to enhance security measures against the PKK members who have been transferred from the Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq to northern Syria. Prior to his visit, Davutoglu held a meeting at the Foreign Ministry for a situation assessment with National Intelligence Agency (MIT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and Turkey’s Ambassador to Baghdad Yunus Demirer. Davutoglu also held a tete-a-tete with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at late hours yesterday and informed him on messages to be given to Barzani.