G7 leaders ‘commend,’ reiterate support for Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga

G7 leaders pose for the family photo at the start of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on June 11, 2021. (Photo: Patrick Semansky/AFP)
G7 leaders pose for the family photo at the start of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on June 11, 2021. (Photo: Patrick Semansky/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The leaders of the G-7 group of countries hailed the efforts of the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Region and their Iraqi counterparts in the fight against ISIS, and affirmed their ongoing support in a joint statement after their annual meeting.

Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States gathered for their annual meeting in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, last week.

“We commend the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, and Government of Iraq in their success against ISIS,” they said in a joint communique following the summit, adding that they would continue to support those efforts, particularly stabilization in areas once held by ISIS.

The G-7 meeting centered on two major themes in their meeting: accelerating the global vaccine supply, which included a pledge of donating one billion doses, and supporting global democracy, particularly in the face of rising authoritarian regimes.

The communique also encouraged Iraqs to participate in the upcoming elections scheduled for Oct. 10 as they endorsed a United Nations resolution for monitoring the electoral process.

“We welcome the efforts of the Government of Iraq to hold illegal armed groups accountable for attacks against Iraqi citizens and Coalition personnel,” the group added.