President Masoud Barzani welcomed the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, His Excellency Mr. Rustam Minnikhanov in his office in Salahadin on May 3th.

President Minnikhanov was accompanied by a diplomatic and commercial delegation from Tatarstan with the aim of strengthening the bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Republic of Tatarstan.

President Barzani and President Minnikhanov discussed the latest political developments in Iraq and in the Kurdistan Region as well as the prospects for the country following last Wednesday's elections. President Barzani expressed his hope for a more stable future and added that the people of Iraq in general and the people of Kurdistan Region in particular had suffered too much under decades-long dictatorial rule.

On his part President Minnikhanov wished for a more prosperous future for the Kurdistan Region and emphasized on possible synergies between Kurdistan and Tatarstan.