Iraq's First Lady due in Tehran today

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's wife, Hiro Ahmed Ibrahim, is slated to pay a visit to Tehran at the head of a high-ranking delegation on Sunday. The visit by Ahmed Ibrahim, who will head a senior delegation from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), takes place at the official invitation of the Iranian government. The PUK officials are due to hold several meetings with senior Iranian officials to discuss bilateral ties and regional developments. No further details have yet been released on the specific goals and agenda of the visit. Iran and the Iraqi Kurdistan region have enjoyed growing ties ever since the overthrow of the former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, during the 2003 US invasion of the Muslim country. A senior Iraqi Kurdish official announced in July that the value of the trade ties between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan region will exceed $4bln this year thanks to the two sides' growing cooperation. "This year, the maximum value of our trade activities will exceed $4bln and such a boost is certainly the result of further cooperation," Representative of the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Nazzem Dabbaq told FNA at the time, adding that the value of bilateral trade ties with Iran was $100 million in 2000. He voiced Kurdistan's willingness to boost trade ties with Iran, and noted, "The present and the future of Iran and Kurdistan are tied to each other. They should always have continued contacts with each other." Deputy Head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Barham Salih was in Iran in July to explore avenues for the further development of the bilateral relations between the two sides. During the five-day trip, Salih discussed consolidation of PUK relations with Iran as well as the role, importance and expansion of Iraq's ties with the Islamic Republic.