Masrour Barzani discusses Kurdistan-German ties with CDU party officials in Munich

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The top security official of the Kurdistan Region on Friday met with Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to review bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and Germany on the sidelines of the 2019 Munich Security Conference.

In the meeting, Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Masrour Barzani “congratulated the CDU Leader on her appointment and stressed the need to continue German support to the Kurdistan Region, in particular training for Peshmerga Forces and humanitarian aid,” according to the KRSC’s press office.

“They also discussed at length the economic challenges for the next KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government] Cabinet, reportedly in the final stages of being formed. In that regard, he urged Kramp-Karrenbauer to support the government’s reform agenda through technical support and expertise.”

Germany is a member of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State which has provided humanitarian, logistical, and military support to the autonomous Kurdistan Region over recent years.

As part of its support to the Kurdistan Region, Germany has just completed the construction of a new Peshmerga Hospital and officially handed it over to the KRG on Jan. 31.

Barzani on Friday also met separately with a parliamentary delegation led by Norbert Rottgen, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. In the meeting, Chancellor Barzani thanked the people and government of Germany for the military assistance during the war against the Islamic State.

“Germany’s support to the Kurdistan Region changed the course of the war against the terrorist organization,” Barzani told the parliamentary delegation, according to the KRSC.

Earlier in the day, the Kurdish official met separately with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iraq’s National Security Adviser Falih Fayyadh. 

Editing by John J. Catherine