(Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdistan plans to strengthen its relationship withIran, the prime minister of the semi-autonomous region said on Wednesday in an acknowledgement of the deepening ties between Arbil and Tehran.
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said in a statement a new oil deal between Arbil and Baghdad would not impact the Kurdistan Regional Government's ties withTurkey, or its growing partnership withIran.
"We will continue to strengthen our relationship with our eastern neighborIran," Barzani said in a statement read at a Kurdish oil and gas conference in London. The statement was read by Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the former UK ambassador to theUnited Nations, after Barzani was unable to attend.