Nechirvan Barzani, head of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, arrived in Ankara last Friday shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron visited Baghdad and met with Iraqi central government officials and Kurdish leaders.
Some experts attribute Nechirvan Barzani's sudden visit to Turkey to tensions between Turkey and France over issues such as the Eastern Mediterranean, the Kurdish issue and Libya.
In an interview with KurdPress, Fabrice Balanche, a researcher on Middle East and Kurdish issues, stressed that Nechirvan Barzani's visit to Turkey took place at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A professor at the University of Lyon 2 in France, Dr. Balanche added: "Barzani may have been invited because of Erdogan's hatred of Emmanuel Macron."
Referring to the rivalry between France and Turkey on various issues, he said: "The same is true over Libya."
Pointing to Emmanuel Macron's invitation to Lybian President Saraj to visit Paris and the possible expansion of ties between Lybia and France, Dr. Balanche said: "Recep Tayyip Erdogan is worried and upset by this invitation."
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