Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kurdistan Regional Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani had a meeting after the changing of the regime ceremony on Monday.

FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP?

According to the statement issued by the Federal Kurdistan Region Prime Minister’s Office, “Barzani and Erdoğan spoke about the friendly relationship between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey, and stressed the strengthening of the relationship.”

Nechirvan Barzani also met with former President Abdullah Gül and former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım in Ankara.

UNOFFICIAL MEETING?

No other details were provided on the meetings. The meeting between Erdoğan and Barzani was not listed in the official agenda of the Presidency, and the Turkish President’s Office didn’t issue any statements on it.

CALLING THE PKK "INVADERS" BEFORE ANKARA MEETING

This meeting happened at a time when the Turkish state has invaded several areas in Southern Kurdistan. Nechirvan Barzani had issued a statement before he left for Ankara and commended Erdoğan on his election, while calling the PKK “invaders”. He had also chosen to not only stay silent in the face of the Turkish state attacks against Southern Kurdistan, but actively excuse them.