Kurdistan Region

Election results from the vote for the regional parliament in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern region show the two dominant Kurdish parties have maintained their hold while an opposition party has made inroads, officials said on Oct. 30.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has emerged as the leading party in the long-awaited Iraqi Kurdish parliamentary election, securing 809,197 votes, according to preliminary results released by Iraq's electoral commission.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Nechirvan Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), in the Turkish capital Ankara on Oct. 16.

Ahead of the meeting, Barzani held talks with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın.

Fidan later joined Erdoğan's reception of the KRG president.

The Iraqi Turkmen Front has that its members in Iraq's Kirkuk province will continue to protest by not attending provincial council sessions, as they did during the previous governorate elections.

Türkiye and Iraq will appoint a general each to a new security center planned for Baghdad, defense sources told local media on Aug. 22.

The announcement follows a landmark agreement signed last week aimed at bolstering military and security cooperation between the neighbors.

Iraqi border security forces have begun duty in the country's Zakho region as Baghdad established two new military bases in the area threatened by the PKK for the first time in 33 years.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has stated that the situation has stabilized in Iraq's Sulaymaniyah following the attack on a gas field last week, with efforts ongoing for the evacuation of Turkish employees working in the complex.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has emphasized the "historical significance" of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent diplomatic mission to Iraq, particularly in the context of combating terrorism.

After a recent visit to the Iraqi capital Baghdad, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın has continued his engagements in the Kurdish regional government capital of Erbil, where discussions centered on bilateral relations and counterterrorism efforts.

Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın has paid a visit to Baghdad and discussed anti-terror cooperation and other security concerns with senior Iraqi officials, including Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid.