Brussels, Belgium (krg.org) – Minister Falah Mustafa, the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, addressed a conference in the European Parliament on human rights in Kurdistan and Iraq during a two-day official visit to Brussels this week.

Minister Mustafa also met with members of the European Parliament,  government officials from the European Union and Belgium and visited both the Iraqi Embassy and Kurdistan Regional Government Representation to the EU. He was accompanied by the KRG Representative to the EU, Delavar Ajgeiy.

At the European Parliament, Minister Mustafa met separately with the Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, MEP Hannes Swoboda. He aslo met MEP Charles Tannock who is the Conservative Foreign Affairs Spokesman in the European Parliament. In both meetings Minister Mustafa discussed a number of issues related to developments in Kurdistan, Iraq and the wider region. He also asked for their assistance in working towards recognition by the European Parliament of the crimes committed by the former regime against the Kurds as genocide.

Minister Mustafa also sought ways in which relations between the European Parliament and the Kurdistan Region can be strengthened. In his meeting with MEP Tannock, Minister Mustafa said, ‘We would like to see increased engagement from the European Parliament to help Iraq move in the right direction. We also hope that a friendship group focused on Kurdistan can be established inside the European Parliament.’ He reiterated the same message during his meeting with MEP Swoboda.

In his visit to the European Union offices, Minister Mustafa met with a group of officials from the European External Action Service headed by the Director for North Africa, Middle East, Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq, Cristian Berger. During the meeting Minister Mustafa briefed the delegation on the significance of Iraq´s parliamentary elections, the current issues between Erbil and Baghdad, the Kurdistan Region´s relationship with Turkey and the need for the European Union to be engaged with Iraq.

Minister Mustafa also highlighted the importance of the EU having a representative office in Kurdistan, as well assistance from the EU to ensure that the Kurdistan Region is included and benefits from the cooperation agreements signed between Iraq and the EU. Mr Berger asked about the latest developments regarding Syria stressing that on a humanitarian level, this is the largest assistance operation the EU has ever been involved in.  Minister Mustafa highlighted the plight of the Syrian refugees in Kurdistan and asked for more humanitarian support for those refugees.

During the second day of the visit, Minister Mustafa attended a conference organised by the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq, Struan Stevenson MEP, and participated in two separate panel discussions on human rights in Iraq as well as in Kurdistan.

During the conference, which was attended by various representatives from Iraq, the Head of the DFR presented a speech on the latest developments in Kurdistan as well as the KRG's vision for the future. In his speech, the Minister said, ‘We in Kurdistan are proud of our culture of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Respect for human rights is the guarantee for peaceful coexistence, progress and prosperity for people living together. This is what we have done in the Kurdistan Region.’

The KRG delegation also visited the Belgian Foreign Ministry where they met with the Head of the Iraq desk, Luc Truyens, and other officials, where they discussed a number of issues including the similar models of governance that exist in both Iraq and Belgium in terms of federalism and the devolution of powers from the centre to the provinces and regions. Minister Mustafa said, ‘We want to learn from other countries' experiences of federalism and especially Belgium, a country which like Iraq, is comprised of different ethnicities.’

Minister Mustafa also made a courtesy call on the Iraqi Embassy where he was received by Ambassador Mohammed Humaimidi. They discussed the latest political and security developments in Iraq, the talks between Baghdad and Erbil, and the upcoming Iraqi elections.

Minister Mustafa visited the KRG Representation in Belgium and was received by the KRG Representative, Delavar Ajgeiy, and met with all the employees at the Representation. Minister Mustafa thanked the KRG Representation team members for their hard work and efforts in conveying the KRG's policies to the European Union and expressed his hope that they would continue this work and aim to work towards strengthening relations with the European Union, the European Parliament and the Belgian government.

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain – (KRG.org) – Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, yesterday addressed diplomats, government officials and academics at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), a leading Spanish think tank in the capital of the Catalonia Region. The visit to Barcelona is part of the minister's tour of Europe which has so far included Brussels.

This the first time that a Kurdistan Regional Government official has spoken at the CIDOB. The discussion was titled ‘A Changing Middle East: Views from Iraqi Kurdistan’ and the Minister was accompanied by the KRG Representative to Spain, Daban Shadal‎.

The Minister began by briefly introducing the history of the Kurdish people prior to the fall of the Baathist regime in 2003. He went on to talk about the achievements of the region in the past decade and the many challenges that remain.

Minister Mustafa described the impact of the Arab Spring on the whole Middle East and in particular the Kurdistan Region, which neighbours Syria and has given shelter to about 250,000 refugees from there.

Minister Mustafa said there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria and that the KRG supports the rights of Syria’s Kurds. The KRG has encouraged them to unite under one umbrella so that they can ensure their rights and demands are met in a new Syria. The Minister added that this conflict and others are part of a wider regional power struggle.

The Minister said that Kurdistan's security and stability has resulted in refugees fleeing there, not only from Syria but also from other parts of Iraq where both Christians and Arabs have faced violence.

He touched on Kurdistan's internal political and economic developments, as well as aspects of the social and cultural elements of life in the region.

Minister Mustafa spoke about relations with Kurdistan’s neighbors, highlighting the progress that has been made in relations with Turkey. He said, ‘Now we see Turkey openly discussing the Kurdish issue and President Barzani’s recent historic visit to Diyarbakir, where he spoke in Kurdish with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, was evidence of how far our relationship has come.’

Discussing KRG relations with Baghdad, the Minister said, 'The upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections on April 30th will be a turning point and very important and critical for us.’ He said that the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad cover a range of issues that need to be resolved for the sake of all Iraqis.

Minister Mustafa concluded the seminar with the current economic climate in Kurdistan. He said, 'The Kurdistan Region has been able to attract $37 billion worth of investments, 2,600 foreign companies are active in Kurdistan and economic indicators keep improving because we have worked not only on the political process but also on economic, social and cultural aspects in order to provide a prosperous future for our people.'

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – As part of his efforts to help expedite the process of KRG government formation, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today met with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Deputy Leader Nechirvan Barzani and members of the KDP’s political bureau.

In today’s meeting, all sides emphasized that the new government should be formed as soon as possible.

The President also met with senior members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Saturday and with leaders of Gorran Movement last week.

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani met Iran’s Ambassador to Iraq Hasan Danayifer in his office in Salahaddin.

The President and the Iranian ambassador discussed bilateral relations, political and security developments in Iraq and their effect on the region and neighboring countries. Both sides hailed the good relations that exist between the two sides and expressed hope that these ties will further strengthen

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani met with leaders and representatives of 12 Syrian Kurdish parties that are part of the Kurdish National Council.

In this meeting, the attendants briefed the President about the latest developments in the Syrian Kurdistan and their activities in the Kurdish National Council. As per an agreement reached in December of 2013, the Kurdish National Council and the Kurdish People’s Council would have joint control of the Pishkhabor border crossing, but now the border is controlled only by the Kurdish People’s Council.

President Barzani reiterated his backing for a unified position among the Syrian Kurdish parties, and he would support any decisions made by consensus by all sides.