Iraqi Kurdistan, Russia reaffirm ties before envoy exit

Shafaq News- Erbil

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and outgoing Russian Ambassador to Iraq Elbrus Kutrashev on Wednesday reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to ties with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region as the envoy prepares to leave after five years in the post.

Their talks also covered relations between Erbil and Baghdad and the latest “regional developments.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Timur Pechatkin as Moscow’s new ambassador to Iraq on August 25, succeeding Kutrashev. Pechatkin previously served as deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Middle East and North Africa Department.