Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) leader Massoud Barzani hosted Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday.
Davutoglu spoke to Barzani at the end of talks in the Suleymaymaniyah province after attending the American University of Iraq-organized ‘Sulaymaniyah Forum’ in Kurdish.
Davutoglu told the press: “Any agreement between Iraqi central government and the KRG [on KRG’s attempted oil deal with Turkey] would benefit everyone. We do not desire any agreement that would bypass the Iraqi central government.”
Relations between Baghdad and the KRG have been strained since early 2013, when Iraq's parliament passed a budget for the Kurdish region despite Kurdish officials' objections.
Tension mounted over Irbil's right to export oil independently of the central government as the Kurdish side attempted to sign an oil export deal with Turkey.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
