Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani receives Norwegian Ambassador to Iraq

The ambassador praised as “a positive step” a recent agreement between the KRG and the Iraqi government to normalize the situation in Sinjar (Shingal).

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Norwegian Ambassador to Iraq, Tone Allers, met with top Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani in Erbil on Wednesday, discussing the latest political developments in the country, according to a statement from Barzani’s office.

Allers expressed her country’s desire to develop relations and increase coordination between Norway and the Kurdistan Region. The ambassador praised the Kurdish Peshmerga forces’ role in the war against the Islamic State terrorist organization.

She relayed concerns about the Saturday attack on the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) office in Baghdad. The building and the Kurdistan flag were burned by supporters of Iran-aligned members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), as Iraqi security forces stood by.

Read More: Kurdistan PM calls for ‘immediate’ probe into Baghdad attack, holding ‘culprits’ accountable

The two sides also discussed the upcoming Iraq elections, the country’s security situation, the recent incident in al-Farhatiya village of Salahuddin province, and Sinjar developments.

Read More: Kurdistan President, KDP leader denounce killing of Iraqi civilians in rural Salahuddin

Allers also praised as “a positive step” the recent agreement regarding the normalization of the situation in Sinjar (Shingal) between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government. Other diplomatic missions have similarly welcomed the deal, including the US and the UK.

Read More: Kurdistan officials praise Erbil-Baghdad agreement on Sinjar

For his part, Barzani thanked Norway for its role as part of the International Coalition against ISIS.

Editing by Khrush Najari