Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq – (DFR.krg.org) – Claudia Roth, who is the Vice-President of the German Bundestag as well as a member of Germany’s Green Party, met with the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), Minister Falah Mustafa to discuss areas of mutual concern and bilateral relations.

The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Brita Wagener, the German Consul General, Alfred Simms-Protz, and the Assistant Head of the DFR, Siham Jabali also attended the meeting.

Minister Mustafa welcomed Vice-President Roth to the Kurdistan Region and congratulated her on her recent appointment as the Vice-President of the German Bundestag. He briefed her and the accompanying delegation on the situation in the region, the complexity of the Syria crisis, the recent developments in Iraq, as well as strengthening bilateral relations with the Federal Republic of Germany.

In regards to the Syrian refugee crisis, Ms Roth was impressed by KRG’s level of cooperation and commitment to the large influx of Syrian refugees crossing the border into the Kurdistan Region, and thanked the people and the government of Kurdistan for their response.

Minister Mustafa expressed the KRG’s appreciation for the German Government’s response and efforts in alleviating the suffering of the refugees and urged for further assistance from the international community given that the number of refugees is expected to rise.

Both sides exchanged views on the Geneva II peace talks with Minister Mustafa emphasizing that the KRG should have been among those invited to the conference given that the region is being directly affected by the conflict. He added that at this point, there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis; we must rather focus on political settlements.

The Minister went on to brief Vice-President Roth about the recent security developments in the Anbar province, which has resulted in a number of IDPs fleeing the violence into Kurdistan. They also exchanged views on Iraq’s forthcoming parliamentary elections and the importance of elections being held on time. 

The KRG enjoys friendly relations with the Federal Republic of Germany and wishes to further enhance these relations. Both sides discussed ways of consolidating these bilateral ties through the KRG representation in Germany and German institutions in the Kurdistan Region. Minister Mustafa concluded by asking Vice-President Roth for her support in the German Parliament for the recognition of Genocide against the Kurdish people and promoting Kurdish friendship within in the German Parliament. 

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq – (DFR.krg.org) – The Ambassador of Japan to Iraq, Masato Takaoka, met today with the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), Minister Falah Mustafa as part of his farewell visit to Kurdistan as his tenure in Iraq comes to an end.

The Assistant Head of the DFR, Siham Jabali and Takashi Matsumoto from the Japanese Embassy also attended the meeting.

Minister Mustafa and Ambassador Takaoka spoke about the progress made in bilateral relations since the Ambassador‘s posting to Baghdad. During his tenure, Ambassador Takaoka has supported a number of political, commercial, and humanitarian initiatives in the Kurdistan Region. 

Both sides also discussed the Syrian refugee crisis, with Minister Mustafa briefing the Ambassador on the outcomes of the 2nd International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, which took place in Kuwait City yesterday. Minister Mustafa went on to thank Japan for their role and humanitarian contribution in the Kurdistan Region.

Ambassador Takaoka informed Minister Mustafa that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) observation field visit to the Basrma refugee camp was a great success and received a lot of press coverage from a major Japanese news agency.

Ambassador Takaoka thanked Minister Mustafa for his warm hospitality and support during his post as the Japanese Ambassador to Iraq.

Minister Mustafa wished the Ambassador success in his new posting and concluded by saying, ‘I enjoyed working with you and I look forward to working with your successor.’ With its open door policy, the KRG looks forward to further strengthening bilateral relations with Japan as Ambassador Takaoka’s successor begins his new post.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq – (DFR.krg.org) – The Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, today met with Alfred Bratanek, Deputy Head of Mission in the Austrian Embassy in Amman, Jordan along with a joint delegation from the Austrian and Slovenien Foreign ministries, to discuss the opening of a new visa center in Erbil.

The Assistant Head of the DFR, Siham Jabali, and the KRG Representative to Austria, Dr. Mustafa Ramazan also attended the meeting.

The purpose of Mr. Bratanek’s visit to Kurdistan is the initiation of the first visa center of its kind – the center runs through a private company.

Minister Mustafa was briefed on the mechanism of the visa process and was assured that this step will provide yet another opportunity to further enhance and intensify the existing mutual ties between Austria and Kurdistan.

The Minister assured the visiting delegation that the KRG appreciates the efforts of the Austrian and Slovenian governments and stressed that steps such as the opening of this office would pave the way for increased relations between all sides involved.

Also discussed during the meeting was future cooperation in the fields of tourism, economy, agriculture as well as educational and cultural exchange programs between the countries and the Kurdistan Region. Minister Mustafa said, ‘We are in favor of a long term strategic relationship benefitting both sides.’

The Kurds and the KRG have a long standing relationship with the people and government of Austria. During times of suffering, the Republic of Austria opened its doors to fleeing refugees.

The opening of a visa center is part of a greater Austrian initiative to expand commercial ties between the two governments.

Minister Mustafa concluded the meeting by thanking Mr. Bratanek and his delegation and said, ‘This is good news for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole and you can count on us as a friend and a partner.’

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq - (DFR.krg.org) – The Italian Consul in Erbil, Mr Carmelo Ficarra, met today with the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, to discuss a number of issues including the donations provided by the Italian government to the Syrian refugees in Kurdistan.

The meeting was also attended by the Assistant Head of the DFR, Siham Jabali.

The Italian government has donated 300,000 Euros worth of humanitarian aid to the refugees. This shipment comprises of tents, blankets, heaters, utensils and generators. Mr Ficarra said, ‘This is the first installment of Italy’s assistance to the refugees and we will provide further assistance in the New Year.’

Minister Mustafa welcomed Mr Ficarra and expressed his gratitude to the Italian people and government for their generous contributions to the Syrian refugees. He expressed his hope that more countries will follow suit given the cold winter conditions and the urgent need for as much help as possible.

In addition Minister Mustafa thanked the Italian Consular Office and Italian government for the continued support they provide to the KRG Representation in Italy. The Minister also thanked them for helping organise a productive program for the DFR delegation that recently visited Italy and met with senior officials from the public and private sector.

Both sides were happy with the results of the delegation’s visit to Italy and they discussed ways and possibilities of setting up joint programs for further cooperation and exchange visits in the coming year.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (KRG.org) – The Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, today met with the Hungarian Ambassador to Iraq, Dr Tibor Szatmari and Ms Marta Papai, Deputy Head of Department for International Development Assistance at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting focused on the needs and situation of the Syrian refugees in Kurdistan as well as ways in which to further enhance mutual relations.

In the meeting which was also attended by the Assistant Head of the DFR, Ms Siham Jabal, Ambassador Szatmari said, ‘Hungary highly values its relationship with Kurdistan and we envision opening up a diplomatic representative office here in the near future.’

The main purpose of the Hungarian delegation’s visit was to provide the Syrian refugees in Kurdistan with humanitarian assistance and to show their commitment to alleviating the suffering that the Syrian people are facing due to the ongoing conflict there. Following the meeting, the Hungarian delegation visited the Darashakran refugee camp in Erbil to provide students with humanitarian assistance.

Minister Mustafa thanked the Hungarian people and government for this step and reiterated the importance of Hungary opening up a Consulate General in the region, as a means towards furthering cooperation between both sides in different sectors. He also referred to the importance of developing MOU’s between Hungarian universities, Chambers of Commerces' with their Kurdish counterparts to enhance sectoral cooperation.

The assistance that has been provided by the Hungarian government comes as a result of urgent appeals by Minister Mustafa to the Hungarian Ambassador for assistance to these refugees, and the DFR continues to appeal to the international community to do more to help the Syrian refugees in Kurdistan. 

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq – (DFR.krg.org) – The Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Shohei Hara, met today with the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa to discuss JICA’s new projects in the region as well as other areas of mutual interest.

The meeting was also attended by the Assistant Head of the DFR, Siham Jabali and JICA Senior Program Manager, Jalal Abdullah Sendory.

JICA is a Japanese independent government agency conducting humanitarian projects in the developing world. The agency started its operation in the Kurdistan Region by opening their office in 2009. They now, have an office in Baghdad as well.

Minister Mustafa welcomed Mr. Hara to Kurdistan and thanked him for the development projects that JICA has initiated in the Kurdistan Region. Minister Mustafa said, “JICA has been a great representative of Japan and your contribution is of great sentiment to the KRG.”

Mr. Hara briefed Minister Mustafa on the agency’s recent activities in Kurdistan. Currently JICA is financing three large projects in the field of infrastructure, two in the electricity sector and one in the water sector. Further projects are planned.

The Minister informed Mr. Hara of the Kurdistan Regions open-door policy. The KRG welcomes economic, political as well as cultural ties with all countries and would like to see a relationship with Japan flourish. “Your presence in the Kurdistan Region is important as we can mutually benefit from one another.”

Due to its security and fast growing economy, Kurdistan presents Japanese companies with endless opportunities. In return, the Region would benefit from Japans experience and their know-how.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq – (DFR.krg.org) – The Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, today welcomed the new Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands, Jeannette Seppen where they discussed a wide range of issues related to further strengthening ties between both sides.

The Assistant Head of DFR, Siham Jabali and the Head of the Dutch Embassy Liaison Office in Erbil, Jeroen Kelderhuis also attended the meeting.

Minister Mustafa congratulated Ambassador Seppen on her new post, assuring her that the KRG will continue assisting and supporting the Dutch mission in Iraq.

Ambassador Seppen was impressed by the region's development in such a short span of time, and was also pleased to have met so many different Dutch Kurds who are now contributing to society after spending large parts of their lives in the Netherlands.

Despite the progress that Kurdistan has made, Minister Mustafa stressed that the KRG strongly believes that there is a lot more that needs to be done. He asked Ambassador Seppen for support in starting cooperation between public and private institutions, in addition to educational and cultural exchange programs and human resource development cooperation.

Advancements in the private sector such as the implementation of financial institutions were also discussed and both sides agreed on the importance of strengthening institutional and private sector ties between Kurdish and Dutch companies.

Minister Mustafa also briefed Ambassador Seppen about the latest political developments in Kurdistan including the ongoing government formation process. Minister Mustafa added that the objective is to build a broad based government that is representative and works for the stability and prosperity of the region.
 

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq - (DFR.krg.org) – The Head of the KRG, Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, today welcomed the non-resident Canadian Ambassador to Iraq, Bruno Saccomani, to discuss the ways in which both sides can work together more closely. This visit follows a similar visit by the Canadian Ambassador to Kurdistan this past October.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Head of the DFR, Karwan Jamal, the Senior Trade Commissioner at the Canadian Embassy, Jean-Philippe Tachdjian and a number of other Canadian Embassy and DFR officials.

Minister Falah Mustafa welcomed Ambassador Saccomani to the region and expressed his pleasure at the level of commitment that the Canadian government is showing towards Kurdistan. He expressed his pleasure with the plans that Canada has in place towards opening their Embassy Office in the region.

Ambassador Saccomani briefed Minister Mustafa on his trip, highlighting his visit to Domiz Camp to visit the Syrian refugees there and said that his team was evaluating the needs of the refugees and spoke about Canada’s continued commitment towards assisting the Syrian refugees affected by the ongoing crisis.

The Ambassador went on to brief Minister Mustafa on the latest developments regarding the groundwork for opening their Embassy Office and expressed his hopes of this paving the way for the start of good economic relations between both sides. He went on to add that a trade delegation is expected to visit from Canada in February with Minister Mustafa welcoming these steps and expressing the full support of the KRG to the Embassy’s mission in Iraq.

Minister Mustafa thanked the Ambassador for the commitment being shown by him and his government and said, “We welcome this partnership and we will support you in any way that we can. We also thank you for your concern and interest in helping Syrian refugees here whether on camp or off camp.’