Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq – (DFR.krg.org) – The Ambassador of the European Union to Iraq, Ms. Jana Hybaskova, visited the Department of Relations yesterday where she met with Minister Falah Mustafa, to discuss the humanitarian situation of the refugees from Syria in the region and to announce that the EU is planning to open a European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) in Kurdistan.

This meeting comes days following the visit by the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid & Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, to Kurdistan. Both sides agreed that the Commissioner’s visit was a success and expressed their hope that the visit will help pave the way for further cooperation between Kurdistan and the European Union particularly in terms of the EU providing humanitarian assistance to the refugees and IDP’s currently in the region.

Ambassador Hybaskova spoke about the European Union’s determination in working towards the opening of a European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) in Kurdistan in the very near future. The purpose of this office would be to provide aid and assistance to the Syrian refugees and displaced people from the rest of Iraq who currently reside in Kurdistan.

For his part, the Head of the DFR welcomed the decision by the EU to open an ECHO representation in Kurdistan and expressed the readiness of the DFR to cooperate and coordinate with the office in order to ensure it succeeds in its mission.

Minister Mustafa then went on to discuss the latest political and security situation in Kurdistan and Iraq, and briefed the Ambassador on the latest developments regarding the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad. Minister Mustafa added that it was vital that the Iraqi parliamentary elections are held on schedule and hoped that the EU would contribute by sending international observers to monitor these elections.

Both sides went on to discuss the Syrian crisis and its effects on the region, particularly on a humanitarian level with over a quarter of a million refugees now living in Kurdistan. Minister Mustafa proposed that the Ambassador speak with her EU counterparts in Baghdad, so that they can schedule a visit by all the EU Ambassadors stationed in Baghdad to the Kurdistan Region, to discuss ways in which to further assist the refugees and other issues of importance.