PM Barzani to meet with Putin

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at an international economic forum in St. Petersburg. 

In their meeting, they will discuss economic and business relations as well as the fight against terror, Putin’s assistant Yuri Ushakov announced.

A Kurdish delegation headed by the prime minister expects to sign major oil and gas deals while attending the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The KRG is attending the forum with information of its oil fields and blocks that are open for investment and will be seeking to increase business with Russian companies. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has agreements with two Russian companies, Gazprom and Russneft, who are expected to become more active in Kurdistan’s oil sector, reported Rudaw’s Omer Murady who is also covering the forum. 

Barzani, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami, arrived in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. 

The delegation is also expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the forum. 

There are 130 states and 12 thousand people participating in the three-day international economic forum that begins on Thursday. 

 

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, held since 1997, is an annual meeting of politicians, economists and business leaders.  In 2016, 356 documents were signed worth billions of dollars.