KRG spokesperson suffers heart attack after Turkey visit

Safeen Dizayee, the spokesperson for Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), suffered a heart attack at Arbil airport while returning from a working visit to Turkey, according to reports on Wednesday morning. After accompanying KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, who had talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in Ankara late on Monday, Dizayee returned to Arbil. He suffered a heart attack at the airport and was taken to the Erbil Cardiac Centre. Hospital authorities have stated that Dizayee is currently in a good condition following an operation after the heart attack. Dizayee, speaking to the press before Barzani's visit, had commented on the ongoing negotiations for peace with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). "Everybody has to return to his or her own country," he said, referring to the post- cease-fire period, noting that not all PKK members in Turkey are Turkish citizens.