PM Masrour Barzani meets with UK Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, on Tuesday met with Stephanie Al-Qaq, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to discuss stability and political developments in the region.  

Prime Minister Barzani met Al-Qaq and British Consul-General, James Thornton, in Erbil.

During the meeting, the two had an in-depth exchange about the situation in Iraq and the Middle East, with Barzani “emphasizing the need for continued political dialogue to secure regional peace and stability,” a statement released by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s website.

Barzani affirmed his support to recent steps taken by the Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi toward reform and responding to the legitimate demands of protesters, “reaffirming the need for a peaceful solution to achieve permanent stability.”

Violence permeated protests since they began in Baghdad in early October and continued with the second wave of demonstrations in late October until now, spreading to major southern cities, marking the worst instance of instability since the so-called Islamic State was defeated nearly two years ago. Clashes between protestors and security forces have resulted in high numbers of casualties. 

Al-Qaq reaffirmed the UK's continued commitment to the security and stability of the region. 

UK @foreignoffice Director for Middle East and North Africa, @salqaq, paid an excellent first visit to @Kurdistan Region. In meetings with @IKRPresident, @masrour_barzani and @qubadjt she reaffirmed the UK's commitment to the region and held wide-ranging discussions. https://t.co/BUS7SQ9Oup

— James Thornton (@UKThornton) November 26, 2019

Editing by Nadia Riva