President Nechirvan Barzani received Mr. Michel Rentenaar, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Iraq, in Erbil on Monday.

At the meeting, the developments in Iraq, especially the recent parliamentary elections and the ongoing row over the election outcome were discussed. Discussions also covered a wide range of other issues including the Netherlands’ relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in all areas and ways to strengthen bilateral ties, the role and contributions of the Dutch forces within the International Coalition against ISIS, and the Netherlands’ support and cooperation with the Ministry of Peshmarga as part of efforts to reform and unite the Peshmarga forces.

The President and the Ambassador agreed that disputes regarding the outcome of the elections should be settled through legal and constitutional channels and that after accepting the results, negotiations should start to form the new Iraqi cabinet.

Expanding Kurdistan Region’s relations with the Netherlands, particularly in agriculture, investments and private sector, and academic exchange and coordination between the two sides were also highlighted.

President Nechirvan Barzani expressed his appreciation for the Netherlands’ support to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as part of the International Coalition against ISIS and valued the contributions of the Netherlands to the Ministry of Peshmarga to conduct reforms.

The regional developments and other topics of mutual interest were highlighted.