Barzani meets world officials during second day of MSC conference

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Region delegation headed by President Masoud Barzani on Saturday met with several world leaders during the second day of the 2017 Munich Security Conference in Germany.

President Barzani and his accompanying delegation held several meetings with officials from around the world including the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the US Vice President Mike Pence. 

President Barzani and Vice President Pence discussed bilateral affairs, the relations between Erbil and Baghdad, and support for the Peshmerga forces fighting the Islamic State (IS).

Following the meeting, Pence wrote in a Tweet that both sides “discussed the need to accelerate plans to defeat [IS]” and thanked President Barzani “for cooperation with Baghdad.”

In the meeting, President Barzani discussed the war against IS in detail including the Mosul operation.

He also spoke about the future of the Kurdistan Region and its relations with Baghdad, according to the Kurdistan Region Press office.

In another meeting, the Kurdistan Region delegation met with an Iraqi designation led by PM Abadi.

The two groups discussed the cooperation and coordination to liberate Mosul, the efforts to stabilize liberated areas, helping displaced people, and plans for the post-IS era. 

The Kurdish delegation also meet with a Kuwaiti contingent headed by the Deputy PM and Interior Minister Khalid al-Jarah. 

Following the meeting, Jarah spoke to Kurdistan24 about the historical relations between Kurdistan and Kuwait and expressed a willingness to visit Erbil, the capital of the Region. 

He added the cooperation between the Kurdistan Region and Kuwait regarding the provision of support for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) would continue.

Additionally, the Kurdish delegation held another meeting with several US senators and congressmen, including John McCain. 

According to a Kurdistan24 correspondent, the group discussed the fight against IS and increasing support for Peshmerga forces.

Both sides addressed the future of Kurdistan, Kurdish self-determination, and bilateral ties between the Region and the US, the press office of the Kurdistan Region Presidency reported.

President Barzani also met with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the Munich Security Conference.

Both sides discussed the political and military situation in Iraq and Syria as well as the battle against the extremist group.

The Kurdistan delegation also held separate meetings with German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano. 

“I have told President Barzani that [Germany] are grateful for a very positive experience we made in the last two and a half years with the reliability of Kurds and mainly Peshmerga,” Leyen told reporters after the meeting.

“We discussed Kurdish independence in all the meetings,” Mohammed Haji Mahmoud, the head of the Kurdish Socialist Party and a member of the Region’s delegation, told Kurdistan24.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
(Additional reporting by Mewan Dolamari)