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KurdistanObserver.com
Ankara Has First
Formal Contact Kurdistan Regional Government
The New Anatolian
May 2, 2008
Representatives of Turkey officially met with Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani
of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Baghdad on Thursday and thus
started the long awaited dialogue between Ankara and the Kurds.
The KRG administration said the fact that the dialogue had been started was a
constructive step which the two sides will now build up on.
KRG External Affairs chief Falah Mustafa told The New Anatolian the two sides
agreed on practical steps to be taken to normalize and expand relations.
The meeting was hosted by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.
At first Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Chief Adviser Prof. Ahmet
Davutoglu and Turkey's acting special coordinator for Iraq Murat Ozcelik met
with Talabani and the Kurdish team led by Nechirvan Barzani. Also at the meeting
were Dr. Barham Saleh, Iraq's deputy prime minister, and Hoshyar Zebari, the
foreign minister of Iraq.
The meeting followed a working luncheon and then the delegation from Ankara met
separately with the Kurdish delegation.
Sides discussed practical steps to be taken against the PKK and peaceful
solutions to the issue. They also discussed political, economic and special
issues between Turkey and the KRG. |
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