New Italian Ambassador supports constitutional talks, calls for peaceful resolution

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The newly-appointed Italian Ambassador to Iraq visited the Kurdistan Region on Saturday and expressed support for constructive dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad to begin.

Bruno Pasquino, the new Italian Ambassador to Iraq, accompanied by Serena Muroni, the Italian Consul in the Kurdistan Region, met with the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), Falah Mustafa, in Erbil.

Mustafa extended the KRG’s gratitude and appreciation for the humanitarian aid provided by the Italian government to the people of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq during its challenging times, particularly in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck the region earlier this month.

The Italian government sent three planes carrying humanitarian assistance to the Kurdistan Region to help areas affected by the quake.

The Kurdish official reiterated that the KRG has always called for dialogue and peaceful negotiations to address political issues with the Federal Government of Iraq within the framework of the constitution.

Mustafa asked the Italian government to help in laying down the groundwork for talks between Erbil and Baghdad to begin, according to the DFR press office.

Pasquino praised the role of the KRG and the Peshmerga forces in defeating the Islamic State (IS) and for remaining committed to preserving the stability of the region and country as a whole. He emphasized the importance of respecting the constitution as a whole and supported KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani's call for a peaceful resolution of the disputes between the KRG and the central government.

“Ambassador Pasquino emphasized that a strong and united KRG within a stable Iraq is in the interest of the international community and that his country will do all that it can to defuse tension between Erbil and Baghdad and encourage both sides to start a dialogue based on the Iraqi Constitution,” the DFR press statement read.

Bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and Italy and further cooperation and strengthening of ties in various fields were other subjects discussed during the meeting.

Editing by Nadia Riva