In his first overseas visit since becoming President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region on June 10, Nechirvan Barzani visited on Friday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss security and economic ties. Barzani’s trip to Istanbul came amid tension in the region. It aims to discuss bilateral relations, in addition to economic and security issues mainly linked to the activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Erdogan has described Barzani as “a special guest.” Friday’s meeting in Dolmabahce Palace on the European shores of the Bosporus came following a series of talks held between Barzani and Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mehdi, during an official visit to Baghdad last Thursday. Erdogan had congratulated Barzani on his appointment to the post of regional president despite tension between Ankara and Erbil due to the 2017 referendum on Kurdish independence that triggered a crisis for Iraq’s Kurds. Barzani played a leading role in cooling down the tension by safeguarding relations between the two sides. Iraqi-Turkish trade volume stands at around $16 billion a year, more than half of which comes from commerce between Turkey and the Kurdistan Region. Barzani’s visit to Turkey came amid the ongoing “Operation Claw” in northern Iraq’s Hakurk region. On May 28, the Turkish Army launched the operation to “neutralize” members of the outlawed PKK in northern Iraq. After a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu last April, Barzani described relations with Turkey as “important and strategic.” The visit of the Kurdistan Region President to Turkey is significant for the energy sector after Ankara began importing oil from Iraq instead of Iran as a result of US sanctions on Iran. Washington has ended waivers to eight countries, including Turkey, to allow them to avoid US sanctions for importing oil from Iran.