On Tuesday, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani held a large number of high-level meetings with global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, focused on bilateral relations and developments in Iraq and the region.
Prime Minister Barzani had meetings with leaders from several countries and institutions including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belgium, Austria, Egypt, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Prime Minister Barzani met with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and “agreed on the need to strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in investment and trade.
An effective migration policy requires reliable partners in countries of origin.
— Christian Stocker (@_CStocker) January 20, 2026
Cooperation with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is a strong example of how such partnerships — including on returns and readmission — can work in practice.
Iraq serves as a role model for stability… pic.twitter.com/5QiV3hZgmo
“We discussed the situation in the region and in Syria, and I voiced my concern over the violence and military escalation,” he said in a post on X.
Prime Minister Barzani then met with Armenia’s President Vahagn Khachaturyan, with whom he also discussed advancing bilateral relations, and “emphasized protecting the rights of the Armenian community in the Kurdistan Region.”
He also met with Maxime Prevot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium.
They stressed the importance of strengthening relations between the Kurdistan Region and Belgium, particularly by expanding cooperation in investment and trade.
Both officials expressed their concern over the clashes and military escalation in Syria and the danger of ISIS resurgence, and emphasized the need to enhance international cooperation and coordination to address these risks.
Later, Prime Minister Barzani met with Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker to discuss developments in Iraq and the region. Both officials stressed the importance of strengthening relations between the Kurdistan Region and Austria and efforts to confront ISIS terrorists.
In his meeting with GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi, the two officials “exchanged views on the situation in Iraq and the efforts and discussions among political parties to form the new cabinet.”
He also discussed the humanitarian situation in the region with Barham Salih, the former Iraqi President and the newly appointed UNHCR, including the situation of refugees in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the wider region.
They discussed the military clashes in Syria and their impact on the refugee situation, as well as the threats posed by ISIS terrorists, and called for the conflict in Syria to come to an end and stressed the importance of protecting peace and stability in the region.
Meetings with representatives of Arab countries were also on the agenda, including a meeting with Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan el-Khatib.
They emphasized the importance of further strengthening relations between the Kurdistan Region and Egypt. They also discussed Prime Minister Barzani’s recent visit to Cairo and his talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Both sides agreed on strengthening bilateral ties in investment and trade. In this regard, Prime Minister Barzani noted the signing of an agreement between the KRG and Egypt’s Iskraemeco, within the framework of the Runaki Project, to supply smart electricity meters.
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