New York, USA (dfr.gov.krd) - In New York this week, Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, discussed Kurdistan Region's urgent need for basic humanitarian needs at a meeting with Manuel Sager, State Secretary and Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Minister Bakir gave a detailed account of the current situation in the Kurdistan Region, focusing on the latest humanitarian, economic, political developments and the ongoing fight against the terrorists of ISIS.

The Head of Foreign Relations highlighted the financial hardships that the KRG is facing due to the drop in oil prices, the impact of  1.8 million Iraqi displaced people and Syrian refugees on the Region’s stretched resources.

Minister Bakir called for continued international support for  Kurdistan in humanitarian, political and military spheres and shed light on the KRG’s efforts to gather international support to recognize the genocide that the Yezidis suffered at the hands of ISIS.

Mr Sager said that the Kurdistan Region has friends in the international community and appreciated the KRG’s open-door policy for the displaced and refugees.

He reiterated Switzerland’s support for Kurdistan on the humanitarian field, especially through UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Minister Bakir and Secretary Sager agreed on continued communication and cooperation between both sides.