European Parliament VP: Arm the Peshmerga directly
The EU but we must find a shorter way to deliver arms from the EU directly to the Kurdistan Region.
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – Different methods have to be used to deliver military weapons to the Peshmerga forces belonging to the Kurdistan region directly and not through Baghdad, Ryszard Czarnecki the Vice-President of the European Parliament said on Sunday, January 03, 2016.
In an interview with K24 on Sunday, Czarnecki said that the Kurdistan Region needs more support from the European Union (EU). “Kurdistan is more stable than any other part of Iraq, therefore, the military and humanitarian assistance should be delivered directly,” he stated.
Czarnecki was asked how the EU can arm the Peshmerga forces directly without going through Baghdad. “This is a challenge for the EU but we must find a shorter way to deliver arms from the EU directly to the Kurdistan Region,” he said.
The European Parliament Vice President also said that “the Peshmerga forces are not only fighting for the Kurdistan Region, but also on behalf of the EU as well and it’s our responsibility to support the Peshmerga.”
He also said that he was aware of the 1.8 million refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Kurdistan Region which includes a significant number of Christians from the Nineveh Plains. “I can promise the Kurdistan Region that I will do my best in order to deliver the EU humanitarian assistance to these refugees and IDPs,” Czarnecki told K24.
Czarnecki is optimistic about the political development of Kurds and fact that the Kurdish nation has been able to take advantage of the opportunities that would lead to an independent Kurdistan step by step.
Regarding stability in the Kurdistan Region, Czarnecki said that his family did not agree with his visit to “’Iraq’ but here I tell them that I am living in a very secure and stable region.”
On Saturday, Czarnecki arrived in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, and held meetings with the officials on Sunday, including Kurdistan Region President, Masoud Barzani, and Kurdistan Parliament Deputy Speaker and MPs.