Turkey has lifted its two-year flight ban on Sulaymaniyah International Airport in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, a restriction imposed in 2023 over concerns about alleged Kurdish militant activity, officials said Friday.

The decision followed a meeting in Ankara between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kurdish Region President Nechirvan Barzani, where both leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional developments, and cooperation opportunities.

Turkey had cited the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, as the reason for halting flights due to safety concerns. Earlier this year, the PKK agreed to disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey, marked by a symbolic disarmament ceremony near Sulaymaniyah in July.

The Kurdistan Region Presidency welcomed the move, calling it a sign of strong ties and deepening cooperation. Turkish Airlines confirmed it would resume flights, with spokesperson Yahya Ustun saying the airline is “delighted to soon reconnect our Sulaymaniyah route with the skies once again.”

The announcement coincided with Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein visiting Ankara to discuss water disputes and broader cooperation with Turkey.