Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, yesterday received the Norwegian Defense Minister, Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, and Foreign Minister Børge Brende, and their accompanying delegation.

The meeting was also attended by the Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, Minister of Peshmerga Affairs, Mustafa Sayed Qadir and other Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, senior officials.

Norwegian Foreign Minister praised the people and government of the Kurdistan Region for having accommodated and assisted a large number of internally displaced people, IDPs, and refuges, who fled violent repressions of the Islamic State terrorist organization, ISIS, and took refuge in the Kurdistan Region.

Mr. Brende also praised the role of the Peshmerga forces in protecting the Region against ISIS.

Norwegian Defense Minister reiterated her country’s support to the Peshmerga forces particularly in the fields of military training, expressing her satisfaction for the progress that has been made in the training plan of the Peshmerga forces.

Prime Minister Barzani expressed the gratitude of the Kurdistan people and government to the Norwegian government for its assistance to the Kurdistan Region at this difficult time.

Prime Minster Barzani urged the Norwegian government and international community to increase their humanitarian assistance to Kurdistan Region in order to be able to face the humanitarian crisis which it currently experiences as the result of the fight against terrorism.

He also asked for the continuation of Norwegian support for the Peshmerga forces.
The two sides also discussed the recent developments in the region and the relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraqi Federal Government.