He made the remarks in a joint press conference with the Iranian minister of foreign affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif, who arrived Erbil late on Sunday, July 19, after a round of talks in Baghdad.

"We in Kurdistan Region value the relations with neighboring countries. Iran is an important neighbor to Iraq and the region that will never forget its support," the Kurdish president said.

Barzani discussed with Zarif the current political situation in the region, as well as the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the region and commercial movement, Shafaq news reported.

For his part, Zarif said, "The region and Iraq, with all their components, are important to us. We want to build friendly relations with Iraq, which we consider important to its role in the region."

He added, "We have good relations with the Kurdish nation. We look forward to develop commercial and economic relations with the region and Iraq. Coronavirus pandemic has not affected this relationship because the commercial movement has not stopped. We are looking forward to developing relations in all areas, especially in the energy field."

It is worth mentioning that Zarif met with the Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi on his fourth official visit to Baghdad, as well as his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, President Barham Salih, Fayeq Zaidan, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Falih Fayadh, the head of the Hadad al-Shaabi Organization and Hadi Ameri, the leader of the Fath Alliance.

The Iranian foreign minister, who arrived at Baghdad International Airport on Sunday morning for a one-day trip, also met Mohammed Halbousi, the speaker of the Council of Representatives.

Zarif later held talks with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Masoud Barzani during his visit to the region.

Reporter’s code: 50101