Politics

Kurdistan Region president receives US envoy to Erbil

In his meeting on Wednesday with United States Consul General in Erbil, Steven Fagin, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani stressed the importance of maintaining political stability in the Kurdistan Region while working to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, including the current economic crisis it has contributed to.

Mustafa Shilani 2020/05/13 17:52

middle east Kurdistan Erbil US ISIS COVID-19

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In his meeting on Wednesday with United States Consul General in Erbil, Steven Fagin, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani stressed the importance of maintaining political stability in the Kurdistan Region while working to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, including the current economic crisis it has contributed to.

Barzani reiterated the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) support for new Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, and the conversation touched upon a variety of political and economic developments in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, according to a statement released by his office.

The meeting continued as both Barzani and Fagin discussed “the US-Iraq strategic dialogue and the presence and role of the Kurdistan Region in this dialogue,” and “Erbil-Baghdad ties and emphasis on solving outstanding issues between both sides based on the constitution.”

Another segment of the discussion was focused on continuing efforts to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in the Kurdistan Region, as the Consul General praised the successful efforts and measures taken by the KRG to curb the spread of the virus, specifically mentioning US support to the autonomous region in this context.

In late April, the main WHO office in Iraq applauded the success of the KRG's efforts to combat the disease. “I want to congratulate the Kurdistan Region on their achievement in fighting the coronavirus,” said an official from the organization. “The rate of COVID-19 infections and fatalities in the region is very low compared to other Iraqi governorates.”

According to the statement, Barzani and Fagin had an in-depth exchange about the ongoing threat of the Islamic State, emphasizing the necessity of the US-led Coalition's continued active support of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in fighting terrorism.

Security in territories disputed by Baghdad and Erbil have significantly deteriorated since federal forces and Iran-backed Iraqi militias, in response to the Kurdistan Region's September 2017 independence referendum, overran Kirkuk and other disputed areas.

In the past weeks, the provinces of Diyala, Kirkuk, and Salahuddin witnessed a series of terrorist insurgencies targeting security and Iraqi military sectors, as sleeper cells loyal to the organization have upped their activity in recent weeks, as a series of other crises have hit Iraq. Even though the terrorist group lost all of its territory in Iraq in late 2017, militants have continued their insurgent-style attacks.

Also on Wednesday, a KRG official announced that the first trial of Islamic State militants in Iraq will take place in min-2021, with a national judicial team that will include judges from the Kurdistan Region, with an international judicial body that will supervise the course of both investigations and trials.

The official said in a statement that an Iraqi investigation team has been working with the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh (UNITAD) to investigate the Islamic State’s crimes against humanity in Sinjar (Shingal), other parts of Nineveh province, and the site of the Spiker airbase massacre in the city of Tikrit.

During Wednesday's meeting, Fagin also praised President Barzani's efforts to unify various Kurdish-led political factions in neighboring Syria.

Editing by John J. Catherine