“President Nechirvan Barzani's visit to Baghdad comes at the official invitation of Mr. Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, prime minister of federal Iraq, and it is taking place within the framework of the Arab League summit being held in Baghdad,” Dilshad Shahad, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency, said in a statement.

The visit “reaffirms his active readiness in regional equations, as well as symbolizes the Kurdistan Region's presence and position within the federal state's domains,” he added.

Baghdad last hosted the Arab League summit in 2012.

Discussions at the summit are focusing on the war in Gaza and other regional developments, including the situation in Syria post-Bashar al-Assad, the latest from Lebanon and Yemen, and conflicts in Sudan and Libya. 

President Barzani is also expected to hold meetings with visiting leaders and officials.

After visiting Baghdad, he travelled to Iran to participate in the Tehran Dialogue Forum, which is taking place on Sunday and Monday.