Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Erbil on Monday, following his meetings with Iraqi officials in Baghdad.

He was received by the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani at Erbil International Airport.

Erdogan’s visit to the region comes at a “critical time,” according to President Barzani. The visit is seen as a significant step in strengthening the political, economic, and security ties between Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and Turkey.

This visit marks Erdogan’s first to the Kurdistan Region during his tenure as president. His last visit to Erbil was in 2011 when he was serving as Turkey’s prime minister.

One of the crucial topics expected to be discussed during this visit is the resumption of Kurdish oil exports. The exports have been halted for over a year after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara. The ruling, which stated that Ankara had breached a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin independent oil exports in 2014, has rendered the Iraq-Turkey pipeline unusable. Despite several talks between Kurdish, Iraqi, and Turkish officials, the exports have yet to resume, leading to a loss of over 11 billion dollars in revenue.

During his visit, Erdogan also met with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani. Border security was high on Ankara’s agenda, with Turkey intensifying cross-border strikes against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in the mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region in recent months. (ILKHA)