President Barzani received Qatar’s inaugural consul general

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Sunday received Qatar’s inaugural consul general to Erbil, Hussein Ali Saleh al-Fazala.

“During their meeting, the President extended his congratulations to Mr. Al-Fazala on his appointment and assured him of the Kurdistan Region’s support,” read a statement from Barzani’s office.

Barzani told Fazala of the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to enhancing relations between their countries and the Qatari consul general conveyed the regards of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and expressed his pleasure to be opening the consulate in Erbil, according to the Kurdish statement.

Fazala “underscored his dedication to fostering stronger bilateral relations between Qatar and the Kurdistan Region, with a specific emphasis on bolstering economic cooperation,” it added.

The Qatari foreign ministry said the two discussed “cooperation” between their countries.

Qatar reopened its Baghdad embassy in 2015 after shutting it during the 1990s Gulf War when several regional and world powers suspended diplomatic relations over Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Doha opened its Erbil consulate last summer and has improved relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, including discussing a free trade agreement with Baghdad.

Barzani met with Thani when the emir visited Iraq in June, a visit he said underscored their significant progress in developing bilateral ties.