Masrour Barzani discusses political, military developments with Australian Ambassador to Iraq
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Masrour Barzani on Sunday discussed political and military developments with the new Australian Ambassador to Iraq.
Barzani received an Australian delegation, led by new Ambassador Joanne Loundes, in Erbil. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representative to Australia, Haval Syan, also participated in the meeting.
According to a readout published on the KRSC website, Chancellor Barzani encouraged Ambassador Loundes “to help collectively address broader political conditions that enable terrorist organizations to emerge,” including the Islamic State (IS).
The upcoming parliamentary elections in Iraq were also on the agenda as well as the Kurdistan Region’s elections later this year.
“Chancellor Barzani expressed hope that Kurdistani political factions, even with their domestic differences, will come together after Iraqi elections,” the KRSC readout said.
The two officials also discussed the latest developments in talks between the KRG and the Iraqi government as well as Kurdistan’s “bilateral relations with neighbors.”
Met Australian Ambassador to Iraq Dr. Joanne Loundes — I'm hopeful Kurdistani political parties, even with their differences, will unite after Iraqi parliamentary elections. Readout: https://t.co/N6cF5iLWZk pic.twitter.com/4DSPzQRIXG
— Masrour Barzani (@masrour_barzani) April 22, 2018
Last week, Chancellor Barzani met with Major General Walter Piatt, the recently appointed Commander of Coalition ground forces (known by the acronym, CJFLCC-OIR) to discuss further cooperation between US and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
The KRSC Chancellor discussed with Piatt the latest IS activities in Kirkuk, Mosul, and Anbar, as well as the group’s remaining pockets in Syria.
Barzani emphasized the importance of US-Kurdish cooperation, “particularly in the anti-IS campaign” as well as “training, equipment, and support for Peshmerga forces.”
The two officials also “reviewed the need for Iraqi Security Forces-Peshmerga Forces coordination in disputed territories to prevent further instability.”