PM Barzani talks 'regional concerns' with Belgian deputy PM during Brussels trip

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (left) and Sophie Wilmes, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Brussels, Belgium on June 10, 2021. (Photo: KRG)
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (left) and Sophie Wilmes, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Brussels, Belgium on June 10, 2021. (Photo: KRG)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday met with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes in the capital Brussels, to discuss regional concerns, trade, and security cooperation between the autonomous region and the European country.

The two “exchanged views on shared regional concerns and [the] need for strong cooperation in security and trade,” Barzani tweeted following his meeting with Wilmes, who is also the country’s foreign minister.

Barzani emphasized the importance of cooperation between the international community, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, particularly in combating terrorism.

Prime Minister Wilmès thanked Prime Minister Barzani and the KRG for their cooperation with the Belgian representatives in Iraq and Syria.

She reaffirmed Belgium’s readiness to strengthen ties with the KRG and increase joint efforts against terrorism.

The Kurdish prime minister arrived in Brussels on June 9 on his first official visit to Belgium, a country at the center of European politics.

Barzani's meetings in the country are expected to focus on strengthening Erbil-Brussels relations, and discussing the continued support and coordination of the international coalition against ISIS with the Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces.