Kurdistan Regional (741)
President Barzani Meets German Chancellor Merkel in Munich
On the second day of his participation at the Munich Security Conference, President Barzani held meetings with a number of world leaders and officials, including with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Norway’s Foreign Minister Børge Brende, Germany’s Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
Both German Chancellor Merkel and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen commended the advances made by the peshmerga forces and reiterated that Germany would send further supplies to Kurdistan for the peshmerga.
The President also participated in a panel on the fight against ISIS terrorism and the situation of IDPS in Kurdistan. He thanked the international community for its support for the peshmerga forces but added that more military aid is needed.
President Barzani Meets US Vice President Biden in Munich
Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani met with Us Vice President Joe Biden in Munich on Sunday.
They discussed the fight against ISIS terrorists and the progress of the efforts to defeat this terror group. Mr. Biden praised the bravery and sacrifices made by the peshmerga forces in this fight and pledged more US support to Kurdistan.
President Barzani thanked the US Vice President personally and the US government their continued support for Kurdistan.
On the same day, the President also met some members of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, lead by John McCain, chairman of the committee, to discuss the fight against ISIS and the military requirements of the peshmerga forces.
President Barzani Meets French President Hollande in Paris
Paris, France (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani met with French President François Hollande in Paris on Tuesday.
In their meeting at the Élysée Palace, President Hollande and President Barzani discussed the ongoing fight against ISIS terrorists and efforts to liberate the city of Mosul.
President Hollande welcomed President Barzani’s visit to Paris and reiterated his country’s support for the Kurdistan Region, in particular the peshmerga forces. He praised the role of the peshmerga in taking the fight to the ISIS terrorists. He said France would continue to provide military, humanitarian and political support to Kurdistan, and that it would also seek to gather support for Kurdistan among other European countries.
President Barzani thanked President Hollande for his continuous support and France’s aerial support for the peshmerga forces. He said President Hollande’s visit to Erbil in September was very important and showed that our people have great friends.
The two also discussed joint preparations underway by the peshmerga and the Iraqi army to liberate the city of Mosul from ISIS terrorists. They also discussed relations between Erbil and Baghdad and the recent meeting between President Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi in Munich last week. The underlined the importance of close cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad to address the challenges facing Iraq.
President Barzani also met with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday in Paris to discuss the fight against ISIS and the military needs of the peshmerga forces.
Sweden’s Minister for foreign affairs pledges to strengthen ties with Kurdistan
Stockholm, Sweden (dfr.gov.krd) - Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margot Wallstrom, today received Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of the KRG Foreign Relations, to discuss bilateral ties and latest humanitarian and security developments in Kurdistan and the wider region.
In welcoming Minister Mustafa and his accompanying delegation, Foreign Minister Wallstrom said, “We enjoy excellent relations with the Kurdistan Region and we are eager and willing to expand and further strengthen this relation for the benefit of both sides.”
Minister Mustafa thanked Foreign Minister Wallstrom for her hospitality and expressed the strong desire of the Kurdistan Regional Government to benefit form Sweden’s experience and knowledge in further advancing the Kurdistan Region.
The Minister briefed the foreign minister on the Peshmerga advances against the ISIS terrorists and the efforts of the Kurdistan Regional Government in dealing with nearly tow million refugees and internally displaced Persons.
Commending the KRG for the hospitality it continues to provide to the Syrian refugees and IDPs, the Foreign Minister pledged that Sweden will continue to provide humanitarian support to the IDPs and refugees in the Kurdistan Region.
Referring to the bravery of Peshmerga forces, the Foreign Minister stated, “Peshmerga forces have proven that they are a reliable force. They have been an important element in the fight against ISIS. There is an urgent need to address the problem of ISIS and to support the Peshmerga forces.”
She added, “The government of Sweden is exploring the possibility of sending military advisor to the Kurdistan Region to train Peshmerga forces.”
Both sides discussed the crimes committed against Yezidis and other minorities by the ISIS terrorists. Foreign Minister Wallstrom conveyed the support of Sweden for the KRG’ efforts in seeking international recognition of terrorist crimes committed against religious and ethnic minorities as acts of genocide.
Considering the strong historical ties and the need to further facilitate cooperation between Kurdistan and Sweden, the KRG Minister emphasized the necessity to upgrade the level of Swedish representation in Erbil to consulate general. The Minister extended an invitation to the Foreign Minister to visit the Kurdistan Region in a near future.
Pointing to the Region’s extensive economic potential, Minister Mustafa stated, “There is a golden opportunity for Swedish companies, our needs represent significant investment potential for your businesses.”
Talking about the role of Kurdish Diaspora in Sweden, both side stressed the importance to make use of all the knowledge and experience of the Kurdish Diaspora in Sweden in strengthening relations between Sweden and the Kurdistan Region.
The meeting was followed by a joint press conference where both ministers responded to questions from reporters.
Mr Karwan Jamal, Deputy Head of DFR, Mr. Shoresh Rahim, KRG Representative to Sweden, Mr. Robert Rydberg, Head of Department for Middle East and North Africa, and Laila Naraghi, political advisor to the minister of foreign affairs as well as other officials from both sides attended the meeting.
Minister Mustafa is on a three-day official visit to Stockholm.
Kurdistan Region President Welcomes German Defense Minister
Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today welcomed German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen in Salahaddin today to discuss German military aid to peshmerga forces.
In a meeting with President Barzani and the military leadership of the KRG, the German defense minister, who was accompanied by a number of security advisors and German members of parliament, reiterated her country’s commitment to stand by the people of Kurdistan in the fight against ISIS terrorists and commended the role of the peshmerga forces in taking the fight to them. She added that Germany would continue to help the KRG by providing weapons and military training to the peshmerga forces.
President Barzani thanked the people and government of German for their decision to assist the KRG and said that the people of Kurdistan are deeply grateful for Germany for coming to their aid. He said that the military aid from Germany has been very effective in battles. He added that with the assistance provided by Germany and other countries, the peshmerga forces now have the upper hand and will continue to push back the ISIS terrorists. But he warned that this will be a drawn-out fight, and the peshmerga require more military assistance and more advanced weapons.
President Barzani Meets President Obama’s Envoy for Coalition against ISIS
Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani met with the US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, General John Allen, in Salahaddin today.
General Allen congratulated the recent military successes by peshmerga forces against the ISIS terrorists and commended the leadership and personal supervision of President Barzani in these operations, in particular the breaking of the Mount Sinjar siege and the liberation of the towns of Zummar and Rabia. He added that other countries in the international coalition against ISIS are also all very impressed by the bravery and the sacrifices of the peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIS.
General Allen welcomed the recent military cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad, and reiterated that the United States would continue to support the peshmerga forces.
President Barzani thanked the Unites States, and other coalition countries, for their military support for the peshmerga forces, adding that the people of Kurdistan are very encouraged to have a good friend like the United States behind them. He said that the recent terror attacks in Paris prove that terrorist is a global threat and it needs a global response.
The President and the US Envoy, who was accompanied by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Brett McGurk and US Ambassador to Iraq Stuart Jones, also discussed ways of further cooperation in the fight against terrorism, and the military requirements of the peshmerga forces.
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