Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Damascus on Monday for an official visit, where he held talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and invited the Syrian leader to visit the Kurdistan Region.

President Barzani and his delegation were received at Damascus International Airport by Mohammed Taha Ahmed, a senior official from Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before proceeding to the presidential palace for a formal meeting with President Sharaa. A large Kurdistan flag was displayed at the entrance of the palace in a symbolic gesture welcoming the Kurdish leader.

According to a statement issued by the Kurdistan Region Presidency before the visit, the discussions focused on relations between Syria, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region, opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation, and the latest political and security developments across the region.

While no detailed readout of the meeting was immediately released, Dilshad Shahab, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency, confirmed that President Barzani formally invited President Sharaa to visit the Kurdistan Region. Barzani's visit to Damascus itself was undertaken at the invitation of the Syrian president.

The meeting builds on a series of high-level diplomatic engagements between Erbil and Damascus over the past two years. President Barzani and President Sharaa previously met in Antalya, while additional discussions have taken place with senior Syrian officials on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The visit also reflects expanding diplomatic engagement between the Kurdistan Region and Syria's new leadership, as both sides seek to strengthen cooperation amid continuing regional security challenges and evolving geopolitical dynamics following recent tensions between the United States and Iran.