Turkey expands Kurdistan outreach to PUK as envoy meets Talabani leaders

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey is broadening its political engagement in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, holding its first formal contact with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leadership in years, according to a report by London-based Amwaj Media. Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Anıl Bora İnan met PUK leader Pavel Talabani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani on June 4, marking the first official meeting between a Turkish diplomat and the PUK leadership in recent memory. Turkey has long conducted its relations with the Kurdistan Region primarily through the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the new outreach signals a diversification of that approach, the report said. Analysts pointed to the historic peace agreement signed between Turkey and the PKK in May 2025 as opening space for Ankara to recalibrate ties with Kurdish actors in Iraq and Syria. Muhammed al-Aga of the Babil Research Center said the move to engage the PUK represents a fine-tuning of Turkey's KDP-centered policy rather than a dramatic shift. The report added that Ankara is expected to maintain its partnership with the KDP, particularly on coordination over the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing and trade, while working with the PUK to strengthen its role as a mediator in disputes between Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. No further details on specific agreements were immediately available.