Davutoglu holds contacts with Iraqi officials, including Barzani

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani in Ankara yesterday, along with other leaders representing different segments of Iraqi politics, including with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Usama al-Nujaifi and Finance Minister Rafi Issawi, Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, Secretary-General of the Iraqi Islamic Party Ayad al-Samarrai, Deputy Secretary-General of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Barham Salih, and Mustafa al-Yaqoubi, a senior aide to Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, as well as Mohammed Faraj, secretary-general of the Kurdish Islamic Federation. No statement was made after the meeting between Davutoglu and Barzani which was closed to the press, but diplomatic sources said Davutoglu conveyed Barzani Turkey’s concerns over the affiliation of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) of Syria with the terrorist PKK. The political crisis in Iraq was also discussed at the talks with Barzani and Davutoglu. Speaking for his part, Barzani expressed concern over the rising number of Syrian refugees in his region, adding that they attach importance to bilateral relations between the two countries, and Turkey’s rising importance in the international arena.