Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (gov.krd) – Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister, Nechrivan Barzani, heading a KRG delegation, arrived in Dubai yesterday for an official visit.

The Kurdistan Regional Government was invited by United Arab Emirates to attend the 2015 Dubai Government Summit, where over 100 global speakers, including United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and a number of international institutions representatives are expected to attend the event.

The Summit will discuss a number of issues related to good governance, public administration and their development. It is scheduled to last three days, where several meetings are expected to be held on the sidelines of this Summit.

The KRG delegation, which includes 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, is scheduled to hold a number of meetings with senior UAE officials during this visit.

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.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (dfr.krg.org) – Today the President’s Chief of Staff, Dr Fuad Hussein, the Head of KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, and the Head of KRG Department of Media and Information, Minister Safeen Dizayee briefed diplomats and representatives of international organizations on the latest developments.

Minister Mustafa thanked diplomats and representatives of international organizations for their attendance and gave an overview of the recent agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), as well as humanitarian and financial challenges facing the Kurdistan Region.

“We have always preferred to resolve our disputes with Baghdad through dialogue and negotiation. The recently reached agreement is a temporary agreement but we consider it a good start. It is in the interests of both Erbil and Baghdad. We are committed to continue our cooperation with Baghdad in order to finalize more lasting agreements on all of outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad,” Minister Mustafa commented on the agreement. 

Minister Dizayee, who was a member of the KRG delegation to Baghdad, said “The atmosphere of the meeting was very positive. Both sides were determined to reach a mutually beneficial agreement and we saw real desire by Prime Minister Abadi and member of his cabinet to resolve outstanding issues with Erbil.”

Highlighting the advances of Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces against the ISIS terrorists, Minister Mustafa said, “Thanks to the support of our coalition partners that have provided our forces with military equipments, weapons, and training, and thanks to the bravery of our Peshmerga forces, we have managed to regain control of the vast majority of territory that had been occupied by the ISIS in early August.”

Dr. Hussein emphasized, “Achieving greater security success and stability in Iraq will largely depend on progress in the political process. A genuine power sharing among the Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis is the only possible way forward.” 

Minister Mustafa also updated the attendants on the latest humanitarian developments and the needs of refugees and internally displaced persons who have taken refuge in the Kurdistan Region. He added, “KRG has made concerted efforts to alleviate the sufferings of refugees and IDPs but with our limited resources we are unable to provide adequate relief and assistance.”

Referring to the impact of financial and security challenges on the economic process in the Kurdistan Region during the past several months, Minster Mustafa said, “Today, with the new agreement in hand for revenue sharing and energy, and with steady progress against ISIS, we look with optimism to the period ahead.”

During the meeting, Dr Hussein and Minister Dizayee provided more details on the recent agreement between Erbil and Baghdad as well as the security and economic cooperation between both sides in the face of current challenges.

Consul General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Fayiz F. Khouri, the new Dean of the diplomatic corps, thanked the DFR for arranging the meeting and expressed his gratitude for the comprehensive briefing on behalf of the diplomats. During the meeting, diplomats and representatives exchanged thoughts on the recent developments. They commended KRG for sheltering hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs and highly praised the role of Peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIS terrorists.

The meeting was attended by diplomats from Jordan, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Turkey, Poland, United Kingdom, China, Germany, Russia, Hungary, Egypt, Italy, Romania, The Netherlands, South Korea, Czech Republic, Iran, France, Bulgaria, Japan, UNAMI.