President Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Basra on Friday to attend the opening ceremony of the 25th Gulf Cup. The Prime Minister of Iraq Mr. Mohammed Shia Sudani, the Speaker of the Iraqi House of Representatives Mr. Mohammed Halbusi and a number of senior Iraqi officials also attended today’s opening ceremony. The President was accompanied by a delegation consisting of the Minister of Culture and Youth of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Governors of Erbil, Sulaimani and Duhok and the Director General of Sports and Youth.

The President said in a statement that: “We came to participate in the opening ceremony of the 25th Gulf Cup, which is an important event for Iraq; the first time since 2003, I think it is the most important event that is being held today in Basra. We came to Basra from the Kurdistan Region to offer our congratulations and we are pleased to be here.”