An extensive meeting was held under the supervision of the Governor of Erbil and the Governor of West Azerbaijan "Urmia"

This evening, Sunday, July 27, 2025, an extensive meeting was held at the Erbil Governorate's office, supervised by Omed Khoshnaw, Governor of Erbil, and Reza Rahmani, Governor of West Azerbaijan (Urmia).
The meeting was attended by Faramarz Asadi, Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Erbil; Hemin Qadir and Masoud Karash, Deputy Governors of Erbil; Shakir Hussein, the official for relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iran; Kamal Hussein Pour, Member of Parliament from Piranshahr; and other senior officials from both sides.
The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen general relations between the two provinces, enhance commercial and economic activity between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kurdistan Region, and to follow up on the visit of pilgrims for the Arbaeen of "Imam Hussein" traveling through the Kurdistan Region to the holy sites in

At the beginning of the meeting, the Governor of Erbil welcomed his counterpart and the accompanying delegation and gave a brief summary of his previous visits to the Islamic Republic of Iran. For his part, the Governor of West Azerbaijan "Urmia" spoke of the importance of the Erbil Governor's visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, noting that it had yielded very positive results.

Then, the matter of the Kurdistan Region's reception of Iranian pilgrims for the Arbaeen of "Imam Hussein" was discussed. The pilgrimage is scheduled to begin this week through the Haji Omran international border crossing.

For this purpose, both sides reviewed the preparations. The Governor of Erbil gave assurances that, by a directive from President Barzani, both the President of the Kurdistan Region and the Prime Minister have been tasked with this matter. He stated that, learning from the experience of past years, the Erbil Governorate will welcome and serve the pilgrims all the way from the Haji Omran border point to the final checkpoint of the governorate at Sherawa.
The governor added that this year's reception will be better than in previous years. He expressed his satisfaction with the preparatory committee and thanked the Barzani Charity Foundation, confirming that the reception will be handled in the best possible manner and that all preparations have been made to offer every possible facility to the pilgrims.

He added, "As good news for this year, by a decision from the President of the Kurdistan Region and the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, all transportation costs for pilgrims from the Haji Omran border crossing to Erbil, and for their return from Erbil to the Haji Omran border crossing, will be free of charge. We will cover these expenses."
The Governor of Erbil also noted, "In our meeting with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we assured him that this year we will serve the pilgrims better than in previous years. We consider this to be our duty."

In this regard, the Governor of West Azerbaijan (Urmia) and his high-level accompanying delegation reiterated their and their country's thanks and praise to President Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Region, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, and the Governor of Erbil.
They expressed this gratitude for the hospitality and generosity shown in the annual reception of Iranian pilgrims participating in the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein via Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region. They noted that this has become a high example for other countries, especially commending the decision to cover the pilgrims' transportation and return costs.

In another segment of the meeting, discussions were held on advancing, improving, and strengthening the agreement between the two provinces and the commercial and economic activity between the Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The remarks and opinions of the attendees were presented, and for this purpose, the meeting resulted in several necessary decisions and recommendations. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to all points of the agreement between them.

Finally, the Governor of Erbil and the Governor of West Azerbaijan (Urmia) held a joint press conference where they presented a summary of the meeting's outcomes and the purpose of their visit to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, for the media channels and the general public.