President Nechirvan Barzani received on Sunday in Erbil Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim Saeed Al Zahri, the Consul General of the United Arab Emirates to the Kurdistan Region.

The meeting discussed the political and economic situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and the relations between Erbil and Baghdad. The UAE Consul General also conveyed an official invitation from the UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to President Nechirvan Barzani to visit the United Arab Emirates.

In his invitation, President Al Nahyan offers his greetings to President Nechirvan Barzani and expresses his country’s keenness to further develop relations with the Kurdistan Region and to expand joint cooperation between the two sides in all areas. The letter also reads that President Al Nahyan looks forward to meeting with President Nechirvan Barzani in the UAE to exchange views on mutual interests between the two countries.

For his part, President Nechirvan Barzani offered his greetings and well wishes to President Al Nahyan and accepted the invitation. The President spoke about the importance of the United Arab Emirates relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and looked forward to visiting the UAE.

Discussions also covered the budget, oil and gas law between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi Federal Government, the status of Shingal and the latest developments in the wider region.