Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) – Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, yesterday received a delegation from German Parliament, which included representatives from Christian Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, left Party, and Green party.

The aim of the German Parliament delegation's visit to the Kurdistan Region was to closely observe the military, humanitarian and economic situation of the Kurdistan Region.

The members of the visiting delegation expressed their appreciation for the fact that, despite the war against terrorism and the economic crisis, the Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, has been able to protect the Region’s peace and security, and provide shelter and assistance to scores of refugees and displaced people, who fled the violent repression of the Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS, and took refuge in the Kurdistan Region.

They reiterated their support both at humanitarian and military levels.

The German Parliament delegation also hailed the peaceful coexistence, which prevails among the religious and ethnic communities in the Kurdistan Region.

Deputy Prime Minister Talabani expressed his appreciation for the visit, and stressed that Germany has assisted Kurdistan Region in hard days, particularly by providing military aid and training to the Peshmerga forces that have resulted in positive achievements and progress in the fight against ISIS.  

He urged Germany to continue its support and assistance as, despite the fact that Peshmerga forces have been successful on the battlefront and taking back Kurdistan territories, the terrorist threat has not been definitively eradicated.

Deputy Prime Minister Talabani briefed the German Parliament delegation about the Kurdistan economic situation and the background of political differences between the KRG and Iraqi Federal Government.

The meeting was also attended by KGR Minister of Interior, Karim Sinjari, Minister of Planning, Ali Sindi, Minister of Health, Halkawt Hama Rashid and KRG Spokesperson, Safeen Dizayee.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (gov.krd) – The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, accompanied by a KRG senior delegation, yesterday attended the opening ceremony of the 2015 Dubai Government Summit.

It was also attended by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces as well as representatives of 93 countries which included heads of states and senior leaders of international organisations.

Prime Minister Barzani and his accompanying delegation arrived Dubai on Sunday evening. The Kurdistan Regional Government was officially invited by the United Arab Emirates Government to attend the summit. The Kurdistan Regional Government delegation included Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, Minister of Natural Resources, Ashti Hawrami, Minister of Planning, Ali Sindi, Minister of Finance and Economy, Rebaz Mohammad and KRG spokesperson, Minister Safeen Dizayee. The delegation is expected to conduct a number of important meetings with the United Arab Emirates senior officials.

The Dubai Government Summit is considered the second largest summit in the world, involving over four thousand people representing 93 countries. The summit will host a number of lectures, seminars, dialogue sessions aimed at improving the way governments work in future, including the development of e-governance, planning and forecasting for future government as well as a number of other topics related to improving governance.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (gov.krg) - On the second day of the Kurdistan Regional Government delegation’s official visit to the United Arab Emirates, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani and his accompanying delegation were received yesterday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The two sides discussed bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and United Arab Emirates. They reaffirmed their willingness to develop these relations, particularly in the political and economic domains.

The latest developments in the region and the war against the Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS, were discussed in the meeting. The two sides stressed the importance of the role of the international coalition in the war against terrorism.

Prime Minister Barzani and his accompanying delegation arrived Dubai on Sunday on an official invitation by UAE government to attend 2015 Dubai Government Summit. The KRG delegation included Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, Minister of Natural Resources, Ashti Hawrami, Minister of Planning, Ali Sindi, Minister of Finance and Economy, Rebaz Muhammad and KRG spokesperson, Minister Safeen Dizayee.

Baghdad, Iraq (dfr.krg.org) – The Government of Iraq, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and the United Nations agencies held a roundtable meeting with the donor countries and diplomats based in Baghdad to encourage international community to provide support for Iraq’s internally displaced persons (IDP).

Karim Sinjari, Minister of Interior, Ali Sindi, Minister of Planning, and Falah Mustafa, Head of Department of Foreign Relation represented KRG in the meeting, which was chaired by Saleh al-Mutlaq, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister for Construction and Services and attended by Iraq’s ministers of foreign affairs, finance, migration and displacement, representatives of UN agencies as well as 40 ambassadors.

Deputy Prime Mnister Mutlaq said, “Deterioration of security in Iraq, which is mainly caused by the attacks of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), has resulted in the displacement of nearly two million people.”

He added, “Addressing the needs of the IDPs is out of the capacity of Iraq. We are facing harsh financial challenges and sharp decline of oil price has exacerbated the situation. Iraq is in need of $5 billion to address the needs of IDPs and their return to their areas.”

Iraq’s finance minister, Hoshiyar Zebari, gave an overview of the financial crisis facing Iraq and announced that the federal government has agreed to allocate $850 million for the ministry of migration and displacement as part of the 215 budget.

According to the KRG Ministry of Planning and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 47 percent of all Iraq’s 2 million displaced are now in the Kurdistan Region. The rest of the IDPs are spread throughout Iraq having fled conflicts in Anbar, Ninewa, Diyala and Salah al-Din governorates. As people continue to flee the violence, the latest count indicates that some 946,266 Iraqis (157,711 families) have sought sanctuary in the region since the beginning of the year. This represents an increase of 53,526 individuals since 1 September.

KRG minister of Planning discussed the difficulties facing the KRG in addressing the needs of IDPs in the Region. He said, “Hosting of IDPs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is placing a huge burden on the region’s social services, as well as its financial resources, which is becoming unsustainable.”

“This humanitarian emergency is far from over and with the winter months the challenges are becoming greater by the day. The partnership between the Government of Iraq, the KRG and the international community is fundamental to address the response, but this is not enough: fresh funds are now needed to avert this crisis from becoming a humanitarian catastrophe,” said Jacqueline Badcock, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.

Commenting on the meeting, Minister Mustafa said, “The large number of IDPs in the Region has stretched our infrastructure and social services to the limit. This was a good opportunity for KRG to be present in Baghdad to address members of international community in highlighting the plight of IDPs.” 

Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and senior KRG officials yesterday met with a high-level British delegation in Erbil aimed at expediting humanitarian aid delivery and coordination.

The UK Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, and the Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, arrived in Erbil to accelerate provision of humanitarian support for displaced families sheltered in the Kurdistan Region.

Both sides discussed educational, health, and humanitarian challenges facing Iraqi internally displaced people (IDPs) and Syrian refugees now residing in the Kurdistan Region. The KRG, with help from the international community, is providing for the needs of these families. The British delegation noted a decision to increase humanitarian aid and coordinate directly with the KRG and non-governmental organisations in Kurdistan. The delegation also noted the importance of working closely with the relevant United Nations agencies.

Deputy Prime Minister Talabani emphasised that the Kurdistan Regional Government, despite enormous financial difficulty, has managed to come to the rescue of displaced people and refugees who have sought shelter in the Kurdistan Region. He stressed that the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) terrorist organisation cannot be allowed a foothold anywhere in Iraq, calling for further coordination between the KRG and Baghdad in combating the terrorists and providing humanitarian aid for IDPs in Kurdistan, where Baghdad should take on a more active role.

Minister of Interior Karim Sinjari, Minister of Planning Dr Ali Sindi, Minister of Health Dr Rekawt Rashid, Head of Foreign Relations Minister Falah Mustafa, and KRG Representative to the UK Bayan Rahman also attended the meeting on behalf of the KRG.