Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani yesterday received Lt. Gen. Mick Bednarek, the United States Chief of Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq, and his accompanying military and diplomatic delegation.

General Bednarek visited Prime Minister on the occasion of termination of his duty in Iraq and introduce his successor, Major General Paul LaCamera.

General Bednarek thanked Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, the Ministry of Peshmerga, and Peshmerga forces, who, he said, have offered full cooperation and assistance during his mission.

General Bednarek commended the role played by Peshmerga forces in confronting Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS, stressing the continuation of the United States support to the Peshmerga forces.

The situation of different areas of Iraq, particularly the areas under the control of ISIS, as well as the current and future cooperation among the coalition, Iraqi and Peshmerga forces were also discussed.

Prime Minister Barzani thanked General Bednarek, who during the past two years has fulfilled his duty effectively in Iraq and Kurdistan Region. He expressed his wishes of success in his new position.

Prime Minister Barzani meanwhile welcomed Major General Paul LaCamera, reiterating the cooperation and coordination of Kurdistan Region Peshmerga and security forces with his office.

He expressed his gratitude to the coalition forces, particularly the United States forces that have played a significant role in repulsing terrorist threats from Kurdistan Region.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, yesterday received Italian Ambassador to Iraq, Marco Carnelos, and his accompanying delegation.

Ambassador Carnelos praised the role of the Peshmerga forces who confront the Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS, on behalf of the entire world, reiterating his government’s support to Kurdistan Region in the war against terrorism.

He stressed that he will work to strengthen the relations between Italy and Kurdistan Region in all fields, particularly in military, humanitarian, and economic domains.

Ambassador Carnelos reiterated his support for the settlement of the issues between Kurdistan Region and Baghdad.

Prime Minister Barzani thanked Ambassador Carnelos for his visit, saying “It is an honour for the Kurdistan Region that its Peshmerga forces fight ISIS on behalf of the entire world.”

He expressed his gratitude to the Italian government, as it was among the countries that had helped the Kurdistan Region since the early days when it started confronting ISIS. He said the visit by Italian Prime Minister was the best support.

Regarding relations between Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, Prime Minister Barzani stressed the necessity of  settling the issues through dialog and negotiations.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, yesterday received Italy's Ambassador to Iraq, Massimo Moratti and his accompanying delegation, who visited Prime Minister Barzani on the occasion of ending his duties in Iraq.     

Mr Morrati pointed to the assistance that the Italian government provides to the people and government of Kurdistan Region, particularly humanitarian assistance and training of the Peshmerga forces, stressing that Italy’s assistance to the Kurdistan Region will continue.

Prime Minister Barzani thanked Mr. Morrati and praised his role as Italy’s ambassador to Iraq, who has been able to contribute to the establishment of solid relations between Kurdistan Region and Italy, and deliver the true image of the Region to his and European countries. He wished success to Mr. Morrati in his future position.

Prime Minister Barzani recalled that those visits by Italian senior delegations to Kurdistan Region, particularly during difficult times, are being highly appreciated.

He reiterated that the threat of the Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS, has not been eliminated, which is why it is essential to continue cooperation between the two sides.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, yesterday received the Defence Senior Advisor Middle East in the UK Ministry of Defence, Lieutenant General Tom Beckett, and his accompanying delegation.

General Beckett discussed the latest security developments in the region in general and in the Kurdistan Region in particular. He also discussed continuing and increasing trainings for Peshmerga forces by the UK military.

He commended the Peshmerga forces who courageously confront the Islamic State terrorist organization, ISIS. He lauded the protection they provide to all people in the Kurdistan Region regardless of their ethnic and religious backgrounds.

He informed the Prime Minister that the Peshmerga forces are successful in the training programmes and they satisfactorily fulfilled their tasks.

General Beckett also discussed the situation in the areas under the control of ISIS.  He stressed the need for cooperation and coordination among all forces, including Iraqi and Kurdistan forces, in order to defeat the terrorists.

Prime Minister Barzani thanked the UK government for supporting and assisting the Kurdistan Region since the terrorist threat emerged. He expressed his wish that training programmes for the Peshmerga forces continue and increase.

He hoped that the ongoing satisfactory coordination and cooperation between coalition forces and the Kurdistan Region would continue and expand, which are vital to eliminate terrorist threats. 

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani yesterday received the Egyptian Ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Ahmad Hassan Darwish, and his accompanying delegation.

Ambassador Darwish highlighted historical relations between Kurdistan and the Egyptian people, hoping to expand those relations particularly in the economic fields of trade and investment. He pointed out that Egyptian investors are keen to boost investment in Iraq in general and in the Kurdistan Region in particular.

He praised the determination of Peshmerga forces in their fight against the Islamic State terrorist organization, ISIS. He also commended the Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, and the people of Kurdistan for accommodating and offering assistance to over 1.7 million refugees and internally displaced people, IDPs, who fled ISIS repression and took refuge in the Kurdistan Region.

Regarding relations between the KRG and the Iraq Federal Government, Mr. Darwish expressed his wishes for the settlement of differences through dialog on the basis of the federal Constitution.

Prime Minister Barzani reiterated the historic relations between the two nations, expressing the KRG’s readiness to develop and strengthen bilateral relations and provide assistance to Egyptian investors.  He highlighted continuing victories by Peshmerga forces in the war against ISIS and mentioned the anticipated military operation to liberate Mosul.

On relations with Baghdad, he emphasized that the Iraq Constitution must be implemented fully, and expressed the Kurdistan Region’s desire to settle issues with Baghdad through negotiations.

Regarding the issue of displaced people, Prime Minister Barzani affirmed that his government and the people of the Kurdistan Region will continue to do their best to assist and accommodate refugees and internally displeased people.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani yesterday received the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran and Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter-ISIL, Mr. Brett McGurk, and his accompanying military and diplomatic delegation.

The security situation in Iraq in general and anticipated liberation campaigns of Anbar and Mosul in particular were discussed.

They also discussed maintaining coalition airstrikes in support of Peshmerga forces, and also in Anbar and Hasaka, (Syria).

The U.S delegation emphasised the need for effective mechanisms to prevent radical jihadists joining the Islamic State terrorist organization, ISIS, as well as ways to assist Sunnis to confront ISIS.

Prime Minister Barzani expressed his hope for coalition forces to further train Iraqi military, police, and Peshmerga forces, and extend military operations to accelerate eradicating the ISIS terrorist organization and normalise the region.

Regarding the relations between Erbil and Baghdad, Prime Minister Barzani reiterated that the current situation is not sustainable.  He said Baghdad continues to reduce funding the Region in breach of last December’s agreement and the Iraq Federal Budget Law 2015 at a time when the Region is serving the needs of nearly two million displaced people and fighting ISIS.

He noted that if the Constitution was fully respected three years ago, Iraq would never have seen these days.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani participated in the opening session of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa in the Dead Sea today and later held meetings with a number of leaders from the region.

The President met with Egyptian President Abdulfatah Al-Sisi, King Abdullah of Jordan, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss political and security developments in the region, in particular confronting the threat of ISIS terrorism. 

The Egyptian President praised the leadership of President Barzani and the bravery of the peshmerga forces in fighting ISIS and expressed his country’s support to the Kurdistan Region. 

President Barzani also met with Iraq’s Speaker of the Council of Representatives Salim Al-Jibori and Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Baha Al-Araji to discuss the latest political and security challenges facing Iraq and the fight against ISIS terrorists. They also discussed relations between Erbil and Baghdad and the need to strengthen ties between the two sides. 

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.