Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday visited Erbil, marking the historic first-ever visit by an Iranian president to the Kurdistan Region.

“It was a pleasure to meet with President Dr. Pezeshkian in Erbil today,” Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a post on X.

It was a pleasure to meet with President @drpezeshkian in Erbil today.

We will continue to build on our policy for good-neighborly relations based on mutual respect and interests. pic.twitter.com/US1lyIvsMZ

— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) September 12, 2024

“We will continue to build on our policy for good-neighborly relations based on mutual respect and interests.”

President Pezeshkian was initially welcomed at the Erbil International Airport by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and other senior KRG officials.

Later, at the office of the Kurdistan Region Presidency, President Pezeshkian met with President Barzani, Prime Masrour Barzani, and several KRG officials. 

According to a readout of the Kurdistan Region Presidency, President Barzani expressed his happiness at this visit, noting that it was the first visit of an Iranian President to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. 

He conveyed a strong message of friendship and cooperation between the two countries and reiterated that the people of Kurdistan will always hold Iran in high regard for its support and assistance during difficult times.

#Kurdistan @IKRPresident Nechirvan Barzani received President Masoud Pezeshkian of Islamic Republic of #Iran at the Erbil International Airport. pic.twitter.com/fX3iRHAOGU

— Kurdistan Region Presidency (@KurdistanRegion) September 12, 2024

President Pezeshkian expressed his satisfaction with the visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and confirmed that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to value and prioritize its relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. 

He pledged that Iran would always support and cooperate with the Kurdistan Region in all aspects and would not let any issues hinder their relations.

Later, he also held a separate meeting with former Kurdistan Region President and Kurdistan Democratic Party head Masoud Barzani.

The Barzani headquarters in a readout said that both leaders discussed the general situation in Iraq and the region and underlined the need to coordinate and enhance political, economic, and cultural relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iran.

During the meeting, President Pezeshkian officially invited former President Barzani to visit Iran.

Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in a post on X on Wednesday that the visit of Iran’s President Pezeshkian is important, carrying several messages.

“The most important of these is mutual respect for the security and sovereignty of the two neighboring countries in all areas of security, economy, trade, and relations between the two peoples.”

I am delighted to welcome Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian to Kurdistan and Iraq on his first official visit abroad as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Our discussions were constructive, focusing on strengthening relations between the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and Iran, based on… pic.twitter.com/kZohp0xqoB

— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) September 12, 2024

Mohammed Salih, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, told Kurdistan Chronicle that the current visit builds on a recent rapprochement between the KRG and Iran. 

“However, there are difficult details to work out, such as the fate of Iranian Kuridsh opposition groups and Kurdish-U.S. relations. Both of these are sensitive matters, and while the KRG is willing to accommodate Iranian demands to some extent, it will not be able to fully meet Iran’s expectations on any of these two issues.”

A reformist of Azerbaijani and Kurdish descent born in the Kurdish-majority city of Mahabad,

Pezeshkian was elected as the new president of the Islamic Republic of Iran in July 2024.

The vote was originally scheduled for 2025, but was held earlier after Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwest on May 19. President Raisi was initially scheduled to visit Baghdad and Erbil.

Read More: KRG Prime Minister Congratulates Iran’s New President

Prime Minister Barzani on July 6 congratulated President Pezeshkian on his election win, underlining the importance of Iran as “a key neighbor to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.”

“We look forward to deepening cooperation based on good-neighborly relations and mutual respect.” 

Read More: Kurdistan Region President Attends Inauguration of Iran’s President

President Barzani on July 30 visited Tehran to participate in President Pezeshkian’s inauguration.