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.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani welcomed Norway’s Foreign Minister Borge Brende and Norway’s Defense Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide in his office in Salahaddin today. 

In their meeting, President Barzani and the Norwegian Ministers discussed Norway’s role, as part of the international coalition against ISIS, in supporting the peshmerga forces with training and capacity building. They also discussed political developments in the country and in the wider region.

Foreign Minister Brende commended the role of President Barzani in leading the peshmerga forces against ISIS terrorists and for his personal involvement in supervising battles in the front lines against the terrorists. He reiterated his country’s commitment to continue to support the peshmerga forces in confronting the terrorists’ threat. 

President Barzani thanked Norway’s for its support and expressed his hope that this cooperation can be further strengthened. He said the with the support of Norway and other coalition partners the peshmerga forces have been able to stand up to the ISIS terrorists and inflict many losses on them. 
On the political developments in Kurdistan, the President said that what is happening is a natural outcome of a democratic process, emphasizing that the political disputes between the parties have not in any way affected the morale of the peshmerga forces. 

The President and the Norwegian delegation also discussed developments in Syria and in Turkey. On the current conflict between Turkey and the PKK, the President said that the only solution is going back to negotiations, and the KRG is ready to help restart the peace process.