Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today met with UK Government’s Security Envoy to the Kurdistan Region, Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall.

The President and the UK government’s security envoy discussed the military effort by the peshmerga forces against the ISIS terrorists and cooperation and assistance by the UK government to help the peshmerga forces in this fight.

General Mayall said that he is in Kurdistan on behalf of UK government to coordinate with the KRG on the supplies of humanitarian and military aid from the UK. He described the recent advances and gains made by the peshmerga forces as remarkable and said that together with the United States and other allies, they would continue to support the peshmerga forces. He also praised the role of peshmerga forces for risking and sacrificing their lives to protect Yezidi and Christian and other minorities in the battle zones.

President Barzani welcomed the decision by the UK Prime Minister to appoint a special security envoy to Kurdistan and extended his appreciation for the military and humanitarian support that the UK is offering to Kurdistan.

Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani yesterday spoke to members of the press regarding security issues, response to the humanitarian crisis, the government formation process in Baghdad, and other matters following a meeting with Parliament Speaker Yousif Mohammed.

The Prime Minister met with the Speaker of Parliament to share a report about the displaced families from Sinjar and Christian villages, discuss ongoing negotiations with Baghdad, and review the current military situation. He said that he will continue to discuss matters related to Peshmerga forces and martyrs affairs with the Speaker.

Prime Minister Barzani told members of the press that the KRG had a bitter experience dealing with former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government, and said that he hoped past mistakes that led to the current crisis would not be repeated in the next cabinet. He indicated that a negotiating team from the Kurdistan Alliance has been established and that they have engaged in detailed preparatory meetings prior to visiting Baghdad.

The Prime Minister emphasised that the delegation will advocate government formation quickly, but the Kurdistan Region has its requests. He noted that these points are clear, including implementation of constitutional Article 140, allocation of a budget for Peshmerga forces, federal budget distribution in general, and matters regarding natural resources. It was decided that the negotiating team would discuss theses issues with Baghdad, with the understanding that they cannot be implemented in two weeks. All political parties of the team agreed on a deadline for the requests.

Prime Minister Barzani lauded the military and humanitarian assistance provided by the international community. “We are grateful to the countries supporting the Kurdistan Region in its fight against the terrorists,” he said, adding, “The issue of terror does not only concern the Kurdistan Regional Government. Rather, combating terror requires an international coalition, and we believe the international community has thus far taken good steps.”

The Prime Minister explained that actions taken have been supported by the United States and European countries militarily. This support began only recently, but nonetheless the KRG is grateful to all countries that have taken measures to support the Kurdistan Region. He noted that Kurdistan is at the forefront of the world’s fight against terrorism, and again underscored the need for regional and international coordination.

Answering questions about the displaced families and provision of humanitarian aid, Prime Minister Barzani said that the KRG is under tremendous pressure and sadly the KRG’s budget remains withheld by Baghdad. This has added to the burden on the Kurdistan Region in providing aid to the displaced.

Regarding Article 140, the Prime Minister pointed to the importance of adhering to the Constitution and its articles, stating that Article 140 paves the way for a solution. He added that the KRG wishes to resolve disputes legally, as per the Constitution, even if all such areas are under KRG control. At the same time, he said that “there are no guarantees” or assurances between Erbil and Baghdad, based on past experiences with the Maliki administration, noting that Baghdad still has not released salaries for civil servants working in the Kurdistan Region.

President Masoud Barzani met with the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif in Erbil on Tuesday. The two discussed the fight against ISIS terrorists, government formation process in Baghdad and other issues of mutual concern.

Foreign Minister Zarif stated that the Islamic Republic would always stand by the Iraqis, including the people of Kurdistan, against terrorism, adding that the terrorism is a threat everyone, be it Shia, Sunni or Kurds. He further added that it is in the interest of Iran to fight terrorism.

President Barzani expressed his gratitude to the Islamic Republic for their support in the fight against terrorism, and hope that relations between the two sides would continue to grow. He added that terrorism is a threat to all, and that cooperation is needed by all sides to address this threat.

On government formation in Baghdad, Mr Zarif expressed his country’s desire to see an inclusive government formed in Baghdad and urged the Kurds to actively play their role to help form such a government. He said the Islamic Republic would support any agreement reached between Baghdad and Erbil.

President Barzani stated that he supports the efforts to form an inclusive government in Baghdad, adding that there must be guarantees regarding any agreements reached between Erbil and Baghdad.

President Masoud Barzani met with the visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brendein Erbil on Tuesday. The President and the the Norwegian Foreign Minister discussed the fight against ISIS terrorists, the humanitarian plight of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi IDPs, and government formation process in Baghdad.

President Barzani thanked the Norwegian Foreign Minister for his visit and said that this visit demonstrates Norway’s solidarity and support for the Kurdistan Region. Address the plight of hundreds of thousands of IDPs is beyond the capacity of the KRG and there is a dire need for international support and cooperation, said the President.

Foreign Minister Brende said he is visiting to show his country’s solidarity and support to the people of Kurdistan in their struggle against terrorism, adding that the KRG can depend on Norway for both humanitarian and military support. He further added that his country has already provided 25 million US dollars for the humanitarian crisis and it intends to provide an additional 10 million.