President Barzani leaves Arbil for Ankara

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: President of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, left Arbil on Wednesday, heading for Ankara and Paris, according to a statement of the Kurdistan Regional Government. “Barzani left Arbil for Turkey in response to an official invitation from Ankara,” the statement quoted the official spokesman of the government, Fouad Hussein, as saying. “A high-profile delegation will accompany the president in his visit, the first in his capacity as a president of Kurdistan,” he added. “Barzani will meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as well as senior Turkish officials,” he said. “The president will then head for Paris in response to an official invitation from President Nicolas Sarkozy,” the spokesman said. “Talks in Paris will tackle several issues of common interest, mainly the economic and cultural relations,” Hussein noted. SH (P) 1