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.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (gov.krd) – As part of its official visit to the United Arab Emirates, the Kurdistan Regional Government delegation, headed by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, yesterday separately met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani at the Al-Bahr Palace in Abu Dhabi and expressed his pleasure for Prime Minister’s visit and thanked the Kurdistan Regional Government for attending Dubai Government Summit which began yesterday.

The two sides discussed the relations between Iraq and the United Arab Emirates in general, and between the Kurdistan Region and the United Arab Emirates in particular. They stressed the necessity to develop these relations in various domains, including the economic sector.

The Prime Minister expressed Kurdistan Regional Government’s gratitude for the humanitarian aid and assistance that the United Arab Emirates and UAE Red Crescent is providing to the internally Iraqi displaced persons and Syrian refugees, who are now sheltered in the Kurdistan Region. He praised the efforts, work and assistance undertaken by the officials and team of the UAE Red Crescent in the Kurdistan Region.

Later during the day, the Kurdistan Regional Government delegation visited the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The two sides discussed the relations between the Kurdistan Region, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.

Prime Minister Barzani praised the role played by the UAE Consulate General in Erbil and in particular the UAE Consul General himself, who exert great efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between Kurdistan and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE Foreign Minister described the Consulate General in Erbil as a post that the ministry considers highly significant. 

They also discussed the situation in the Middle East including the latest developments in the war against the Islamic State terrorist organisation, known as ISIS. The two sides stressed that confronting terrorism cannot be undertaken solely through military operations, but also through challenging the ideologies and to confront the concepts of violence that exist in the region.

Prime Minister Barzani and his accompanying delegation arrived Dubai on Sunday evening upon 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 Mohammad and KRG spokesperson, Minister Safeen Dizayee.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (gov.krd) - United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, yesterday received Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani.

The two sides discussed bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and United Arab Emirates, stressing both sides’ intention to develop relations in various fields.

Deputy Prime Minister Talabani expressed the gratitude of the people and government of the Kurdistan Region to the people and government of United Arab Emirates for the humanitarian assistance that they have been providing to the displaced people and refugees who fled the violent repression of the Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS, and took refuge in Kurdistan Region.

He said that he hopes the Kurdistan Regional Government’s participation in Dubai Government Summit would help to build bridges between the Kurdistan Region and United Arab Emirates.

Latest political and military developments in the region, particularly the war against ISIS, were highlighted in the meeting. Deputy Prime Minister Talabani hoped that the current deterioration of security situation in the Middle East will not slow down the relations between the Kurdistan Region and United Arab Emirates.

The meeting was also attended by KRG Minister of Planning, Ali Sindi, KRG Minister of Finance and Economy, Rebaz Mohammad and KRG spokesperson, Minister Safeen Dizayee.

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.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani met with the commander of the United States Central Command General Lloyd Austin and the US Ambassador to Iraq Mr. Stuart Jones in Erbil today.

The President and the US general discussed the military campaign currently underway against the ISIS terrorists and the military support of the US to the peshmerga forces. President Barzani thanked the United States and other coalition countries for their military support for the peshmerga.

General Austin recognized the role of the peshmerga forces in the fight against the ISIS terrorists and reaffirmed continued US support for the peshmerga. In particular, he praised the military successes and gains made by the peshmerga forces in areas north of Mosul in recent days, attributing these victories to the able leadership and the personal involvement of President Barzani in supervising these operations.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani strongly condemned the brutal murder of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh by ISIS terrorists.

In a message addressed to Jordan’s King Abdullah, President Barzani said, “O behalf of myself and the people of Kurdistan, I express my condolences to your Majesty, the people of Jordan, and the family of Moaz al-Kasasbeh.  I condemn, in the strongest terms, this inhumane act by ISIS terrorists.  These terrorists will pay for their crimes, and their fate is defeat and annihilation.”

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani visited Munich, Germany, on Friday, to participate in the annual Munich Security Conference.

The President and an accompanying KRG delegation attended the opening ceremony of the Conference and held a number of bilateral meetings, including meeting Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, and Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic, and former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In these meetings, the President shed light on the ongoing efforts by the peshmerga forces to defeat ISIS terrorists and the humanitarian situation of refugees and IDPS who fled to Kurdistan.

On the sidelines of the Conference, the President also took part in a roundtable meeting attended by a number of US and European politicians and officials. In this meeting, President Barzani talked about the fighting against ISIS and the need for more support for the peshmerga forces. He also discussed the plight of hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs who have fled to Kurdistan in recent months and years.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi met in Munich today. Following their meeting which was held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the two leaders spoke to the media. They both said that they had a positive meeting and that they both agreed to work more closely together.