A memorandum of understanding was signed on Sunday during a visit by Massud Barzani, president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa Al-Thani.

The document refers to "the possibility of opening a Qatari consulate in Kurdistan with the permission of the Iraqi foreign minister and a Kurdistan office in Qatar," said Imad Ahmed, Kurdish minister of reconstruction and housing.

The agreement also covers "cooperation on infrastructure, agricultural development, agricultural investment, tourism and air transport," said Ahmed, who signed the memorandum on behalf of his government.

In 2007, Iran officially opened consulates in the two main cities of Iraqi Kurdistan: Erbil and Sulaimaniyah.