ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is set to participate in a meeting of Iraq's State Administration Coalition in Baghdad on Wednesday evening following the Iraqi prime minister’s return from several diplomatic visits.
According to information obtained by Rudaw's Baghdad office, President Barzani will attend the coalition meeting alongside representatives of Iraq's major political parties and the country's five presidencies: the Iraqi Presidency, the Council of Representatives, the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
The meeting comes as Iraq's leaders embark on a series of engagements on national political, security, and economic matters with national leaders following Zaidi's visit to Washington, Ankara and Tehran and amid regional tensions and the renewed US-Iran war.
In addition to the coalition meeting, President Barzani is scheduled to hold a separate meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
No official agenda has been announced for either meeting.
The State Administration Coalition operates as Iraq's main governing political alliance, bringing together major Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish, Christian, and Turkmen parties. Formed in late 2022 to facilitate the creation of former prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's government, the coalition has since served as a platform for coordinating policy and discussing major national issues.
Barzani's trip to Baghdad comes just days after his visit to Damascus, where he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the highest-level publicly announced meeting between the two leaders.
According to the Syrian presidency, the two leaders discussed "ways to enhance cooperation and coordination, especially in the economic field, alongside addressing recent developments in the regional situation, and a number of issues of common interest, contributing to supporting security and stability and enhancing regional cooperation."
Following the meeting, Barzani expressed his confidence in Sharaa’s vision, framing the visit as "a historic opportunity to recover, rebuild, and prosper.”
“Under his [Sharaa’s] leadership, Syria can advance toward greater stability, prosperity, and a brighter future for all its people," Barzani’s post read on X.
