Salahadin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, (KRP.org) - Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani received a delegation from Canada today at his office in Salahadin. The delegation was headed by Ms. Lynne Yelich, Canada's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Consular. During the meeting the President welcomed the delegation and expressed hope that the relations between the Kurdistan Region and Canada will grow further.

Ms. Yelich and President Barzani discussed a number of current issues facing Iraq and the Middle East, including the ongoing influx of Syrian refugees to the Kurdistan Region.

The Canadian delegation is planning to open a trade mission in Erbil so that Canadian corporations can more easily solidify their presence in the Kurdistan Region. In addition to oil and gas, education and other areas of focus for the Canadian trade mission, the President stressed on the need for cooperation on the development of the agriculture sector in Kurdistan.

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) - Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today welcomed Turkish Kurdish members of parliament Layla Zana and Siri Suraya Onder in his office in Salahaddin.

The two members of parliament delivered a letter from Abdula Ocalan to President Barzani. In his letter, Mr. Ocalan expresses his support for the peace process in Turkey and asks for the cooperation of all sides for this process to succeed. He also underlines the importance of coordination among all Kurdish sides.

 Tuesday, 11 Feb 2014

Berlin, Germany (KRP.org) – The President of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, met the German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin yesterday.

Foreign Minister Steinmeier welcomed President Barzani to Germany and spoke about his visit to Erbil back in 2008, highlighting his desire to visit Kurdistan again soon. He added that he was aware of the rapid developments happening in Kurdistan and reiterated Germany’s commitment to working closely with Kurdistan to further strengthen bilateral relations.

For his part, President Barzani expressed his pleasure at the opportunity of once again meeting Foreign Minister Steinmeier and expressed his hope that the Foreign Minister would indeed visit Kurdistan again soon to witness first-hand the developments in the region. He added that the Kurdistan Region views its ties with Germany with great importance.

President Barzani, briefed Minister Steinmeier on the current situation in Kurdistan, the recent security developments in the Anbar province, relations between Erbil and Baghdad, the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections in April, the issue of oil exports via Turkey and the impact of the Syrian crisis on Kurdistan and on Iraq.

On the political challenges facing Iraq and especially the security crisis in the Anbar province, the President said, “It is important that a comprehensive solution is found for the problems facing Iraq, and the real solution is for Iraq to be committed to a federal system, which is a basic principle in Iraq’s constitution.”

“It is equally important that all sides work together in the fight against terrorism, especially at a time when they have increasingly grown in strength and now constitute a real threat to the whole region.” He highlighted the roots of the security problems in Anbar and some of the other Iraqi provinces and said that this has become a source of instability to all Iraq.

The President stressed the importance that all political groups in Iraq remain committed to holding the parliamentary elections on time, scheduled in late April this year.

On the KRG policy of exporting oil via Turkey, the President reiterated that ties between Kurdistan and Turkey are based on mutual interests, and that these ties would also serve the interest of Iraq in general. In addition he highlighted the legality of the Kurdistan Region's hydrocarbon policies which are in adherence with Iraq’s constitution.

Finally both sides discussed the latest regarding the formation of a new government in Kurdistan with President Brazani emphasizing that the priorities for Kurdistan are to maintain its security and to continue developing the Region and its economic infrastructure to improve the standards of living for all the people of the region.

The meeting was also attended by the President’s Chief of Staff, Dr Fuad Hussein, the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa and the KRG Representative to Germany, Dilshad Barzani.

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – In response to inaccurate media reports about the postponement of President Barzani’s visit to Washington, D.C., Kurdistan Region Presidency Spokesman Omed Sabah said in a statement that it was President Barzani who decided to postpone the visit to a more convenient date.

“In fact all preparations were already made by the U.S. Administration, and dates were set for meetings with senior Administration officials and the U.S. President. But President Barzani made the decision to postpone his visit to a more convenient time. This was a subject of discussion in the telephone conversation between the U.S. Vice President and the Kurdistan Region President on Friday,” said the statement

 Davos, Switzerland (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today concluded his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. During his participation at the Forum, the President took part in two high-level discussion sessions; one on the events unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa, and one on the conflict in Syria, and their implications for the region in general.

During his three-day stay in Davos, the President also held meetings with the prime ministers of Holland and Georgia, and the foreign ministers of France, Turkey and Sweden. These discussions focused on enhancing bilateral relations and included consultations on the political and security challenges facing Iraq, Syria and the wider region.

In all his meetings , President Barzani drew attention to the plight of the more than 250,000 Syrian refugees who have sought refuge in Kurdistan, and underlined the importance of more international assistance for these refugees. On the conflict in Syria, he also reiterated that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria, and that only a political settlement can lead to a resolution.

In the meeting between the President and the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, both emphasized continued close cooperation and hope that these bilateral ties will become increasingly enhanced. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he is very pleased with his country’s bilateral relations with the Kurdistan Region. The President said the KRG is equally pleased with this relationship and is keen to further develop ties with France. He also extended an invitation for the Foreign Minister to visit Erbil.

The meeting between the President and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu focused on bilateral ties and the dialogue currently underway between Erbil and Baghdad to reach a settlement on the issues of oil and gas exports through Turkey. They both expressed their hope and optimism that Erbil and Baghdad can soon reach a resolution, one that is also in the interest of Iraq as whole.

On the sidelines of the Forum, President Barzani also met the President of Exxon Mobil Corporation, Rex Tilerson, and Chevron’s Vice President for Business Development, Jay Pryor. Chevron’s Vice President thanked the KRG for its close cooperation with the company and briefed the President about the activities and the progress of their work in Kurdistan.

 Davos, Switzerland (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani arrived in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday to participate in the annual World Economic Forum.

In his first engagement at the Forum, the President met with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The Dutch Prime Minister said he is pleased that there has been a lot of progress since their meeting last year in Davos, and hoped that these ties can further go forward between the two sides.

President Barzani concurred with Prime Minister Rutte about the progress in relations and also expressed KRG readiness to further enhance bilateral ties, adding that the visit by the Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmerman to Erbil in September 2013 was a clear sign of the progress in bilateral ties.

The two also discussed the plight of the Syrian refugees in Kurdistan, relations between Erbil and Baghdad, the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections in April, the current security situation in Anbar province and the threat of terrorism.

Prime Minister Rutte praised the KRG for hosting such a large number of refugees and said they realize this put a great burden on the KRG resources.

“We now have about 250,000 Syrian refugees, mostly Kurds, in Kurdistan. For us, it’s both a humanitarian and national obligation to look after them. I hope the international community will be more forthcoming in providing aid to the Syrian refugees in Kurdistan,” said the President.

On relations between Erbil and Baghdad, the President said that there is no dialogue between the two sides, and expressed his hope that all the outstanding issues between the two can be resolved through these talks and within the framework of the Iraqi Constitution.

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region Presidency Chief of Staff, Fuad Hussein, said in a statement that President Masoud Barzani along with a KRG delegation began a visit to a number of European countries on Wednesday.

Fuad Hussein said that the President is scheduled to meet a number of world leaders and officials. He will also attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where is due to meet several leaders and attend a number of sessions on the economic and political developments in Kurdistan, in Iraq, and in the wider region.

Kurdistan Region Presidency Chief of Staff Fuad Hussein, KRG Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami, and KRG Head of Foreign Relations Department Falah Mustafa will accompany the President on this visit.