Senior Kurdish leader meets with EU Ambassador to Iraq

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, on Tuesday met with the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Iraq, Martin Huth, in Erbil to discuss the evolving security situation in Iraq and Syria.

The newly appointed ambassador of the EU to Iraq praised the progress of the Kurdistan Region toward peace and stability in comparison to the rest of Iraq.

The ambassador also extended his thanks and gratitude to Barzani and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces for their decisive role in the fight against the Islamic State and for taking in thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees. Barzani congratulated the EU ambassador on his new role and wished him success.

The Kurdish PM also relayed his concerns about the future of the Kurdish people in Syria. The ambassador affirmed the EU’s stance on the current situation in Syria, calling for de-escalation.
On Monday, the European Union condemned Turkey’s bilateral military action in northern Syria, which it argued affects the stability and security of the entire region.

Pleased to receive @EUAmbIraq today at the Barzani Headquarters. Ambassador Huth and I discussed the recent developments in Rojava and spoke of avenues through which we can help the people of Northeastern Syria pic.twitter.com/YjMi3KGWaG

— Masoud Barzani (@masoud_barzani) October 15, 2019

Vincent Guillaume Poupeau, Head of the EU’s Liaison Office in Erbil, was also present in the meeting, and joined Huth in welcoming positive developments between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi Federal Government with regards to their unresolved issues. 

Both sides discussed current security threats in Iraq and Syria and concerns that the Islamic State could make a resurgence the region.

Editing by Nadia Riva