BAGHDAD (AP) — The president of Iraq’s self-ruled Kurdish region visited Kurdish troops Monday in ethnically disputed areas near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, a move likely to worsen already poor relations with the country’s central government.

The visit by Massoud Barzani to Kirkuk province was his first since June 2012, according to officials in the city. Tension between the Kurds and Baghdad flared up over the past two months following a decision by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to form a new military command to oversee security forces bordering the Kurdish region. The move has angered the Kurds.