Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani received Tobias Ellwood, UK Minister for the Middle East and Africa, accompanied by a diplomatic delegation.
In the meeting, attended by Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani and a number of KRG senior officials, the visiting delegation reiterated their country’s support to the Kurdistan Region.
The delegation commended the role of Kurdistan military forces, the Peshmerga, in the fight against the so-called Islamic State terrorist group, or ISIS, and praised the role of the people and government of Kurdistan for having accommodated and protected a large number of internally displaced people of various ethnic and religious background.
Regarding the situation in post-ISIS Mosul, the visiting delegation reiterated that there should be a full cooperation between the city’s ethnic and religious groups, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Iraqi Federal Government and the international community with the view to protecting the stability of the region.
The delegation also expressed their support for the settlement of political issues in Kurdistan Region and the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad through dialogue and mutual understanding.
Prime Minister Barzani expressed his government’s gratitude for the British Government for their humanitarian and military support to the Kurdistan Region.
He stressed the need for international cooperation in the political and reconstruction process, economic recovery and trust-building process among all the communities in post-ISIS Mosul, that has so far not been properly discussed. He pointed out that the main responsibility falls on the shoulder of the Iraqi government, expressing, at the sometime, KRG’s readiness to support and cooperate in this regard.
Prime Minister Barzani also discussed the role of the Peshmerga forces in the war against terrorism, as well as KRG’s efforts in accommodating a large number of IDPs and refugees. Regarding Baghdad’s lack of support in this regard, he pointed out that apart from military cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad, there have been no cooperation attempts between the two sides in other fields.
Regarding the future of Kurdistan Region, Prime Minister Barzani noted that serious dialogue is underway between all political parties in the Region for an attempt to resolve outstanding political issues. He also shed light on the current extensive discussions on holding a referendum for self-determination of the people of Kurdistan.
In this regard, Prime Minister Barzani deemed it necessary to begin a frank dialogue with Baghdad, noting that Kurdistan Region hopes for the best relations with Baghdad irrespective of what would be the political system.