Barzani to meet with Dutch PM to discuss cooperation on migration, IS

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani is scheduled to meet with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Hague on Tuesday to discuss security and various plans for cooperation between the two governments.

“The two ministers will talk about migration, the fight against ISIS, security, and stability in the region and broader cooperation, including in the agricultural sector,” the statement of the Dutch Prime Minister’s media office reads, using an acronym for the Islamic State (IS).

Barzani attended Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's taking of Oath of Office ceremony in Ankara on Monday, his first visit to the neighboring country since the Kurdistan Region’s Sep. 25 referendum on independence.

The spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Safeen Dizayee on Monday told Kurdistan 24 in Ankara that Barzani will not meet any Turkish officials or parties in Ankara as he traveled solely for Erdogan’s taking of Oath of office ceremony.

He also mentioned that the Kurdish Premier would travel to Europe on Tuesday as he has meetings with European officials.

In late June, a member of the Dutch cabinet announced an expansive plan to develop several aspects of the economy in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan, as she arrived in Erbil on Monday.

"This is from a viewpoint of our contribution to stability and stabilization, also in the wake of the successful battle against Daesh (IS)," Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag told reporters at Erbil International Airport.

The Netherlands has its Consulate General in the capital of the Kurdish semi-autonomous region. Over the past few years, the two governments have improved bilateral relations, especially in regards to economic development.

The European country is also a member of the US-led Coalition against IS. Since 2015, its military advisers have contributed in training thousands of Peshmerga forces in the fight against the jihadist group.

Editing by John J. Catherine