Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani received United Kingdom Government Cabinet Office Minister, Oliver Letwin and his accompanying delegation.

Mr. Letwin praised the role of the Peshmerga forces in their fight against Islamic State terrorist organization, ISIS, as well as the Region’s interior forces that have been able to protect security of Kurdistan citizens regardless their ethnic and religious background.

He reiterated his government’s support to the people, government and Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan Region particularly in the war against ISIS. He noted that the UK government values its relations with Kurdistan Region.

He also commended the Kurdistan Region for being able to accommodate and provide assistance to a large number of Internally displaced people, IDPs and refugees who have fled terrorist threats and sought safety in Kurdistan.

Prime Minister Barzani expressed his gratitude to the UK Government, which has been supporting Kurdistan Region since ISIS started its campaigns against the Kurdistan Region.

Prime Minister Barzani, meantime, noted that the people and government of Kurdistan Region expect further and continuous UK assistance particularly in providing Peshmerga forces with ammunitions, artillery and training.

He also stressed that Kurdistan Region needs continuous support from the international community, directly or through the United Nation agencies, in order to offer further assistance to the IDPs and refugees.

The two sides also discussed the political situation in Iraq and the relations between Erbil and Baghdad.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minster, Nechirvan Barzani, yesterday received the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, ICC, Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo and his accompanying delegation.

The two sides discussed the situation of the victims of terrorist attacks, particularly the Yazidi Kurds who last year were subject to barbaric attacks by Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS.

They highlighted the efforts exerted by Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, to obtain international recognition of the crimes committed against Yazidi Kurds as genocide.

Prime Minister Barzani briefed the delegation about the tasks undertaken by KRG Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs in this regard.

Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo expressed his sympathy to the Yazidi community, the people and the government of Kurdistan Region, reiterating his support to the KRG efforts in obtaining genocide recognition of the Yazidi case, considering it as a humanitarian case which is important for the entire humanity.

Prime Minister Barzani expressed his and his government’s gratitude to Mr. Moreno-Ocampo for his support. He noted that the KRG will continue its efforts to liberate the Yazidi men and women who still are remained captive at the hands of ISIS.

Prime Minister Barzani meanwhile thanked the NGO’s and aid agencies for offering assistance to the victims of terrorism.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - In a telephone call with Abdulla Kurdi, the father of Alan Kurdi, whose heartbreaking images of his tragic death shocked the entire world, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, on Friday expressed his condolences on the loss of his two children, Alan and Ghalib and his wife, Reyhan Shito.

Prime Minister Barzani wished Almighty God bless Mr. Abdulla and give him patience.

He also expressed his condolences to the families of all those migrants who fled Kurdistan of Syria and have lost their beloved ones on the route to Europe.

Mr. Kurdi thanked Prime Minister Barzani for his sympathy and sharing their grief and mourning which, he said, will help to ease his and his family’s sorrow.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - In August, direct oil export from Kurdistan Region continued despite sabotage and attempted theft on the export pipeline inside Turkey borders, which occurred on 27 July and extended to the first week of August.

According to the Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, Ministry of Natural Resources Oil Export Report, in August Kurdistan Region has exported 14,657,798 barrels of crude oil, an average of 472,832 bpd, through the Kurdistan pipeline network to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. This is an 8.5 per cent decline comparing to 16,019,090 barrels which were exported in July.

The decline, according to the report, was due to nine days of downtime for the export pipeline which mostly occurred at the beginning of the month.

Of the exported amount, fields operated by the KRG contributed 10,958,817 barrels, an average of 353,510 bpd, while fields operated by the North Oil Company, NOC, contributed 3,698,981 barrels, an average of 119,322 bpd.

In August, the Kurdistan Regional Government delivered a total of 1,579,004 barrels, an average of 50,936 bpd, to the Iraqi State Oil Marketing Company, SOMO.

The monthly export report said that in August, the KRG “continued its direct oil sales in Ceyhan to compensate the Region for the budget shortfalls from the federal government in Baghdad and to continue to pay down debts accumulated in 2014 from pre-payments for direct oil sales” the report highlighted.”

Last week, KRG Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed that the Kurdistan Regional Council for Oil and Gas Affairs expects the first tranche of regular payments to the producing IOCs to be made available during the first half of September 2015.

In an earlier statement by KRG ministry of Natural Resources it was urged that as oil export is expected to rise in early 2016, the KRG envisages making additional revenue available to the IOCs to enable them to begin to catch up on the past receivables due under their production sharing contracts.