Kurdistan Region is a 'force of stability' in Middle East: EU Official

Mustafa Shilani 2021/09/07 20:28

Masrour Barzani (Right), Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister in a meeting with Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Spt. 7, 2021. (Photo: KRG)

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ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said on Tuesday during his official trip to Erbil that he considers the autonomous Kurdistan Region a "force of stability" in Iraq and the greater Middle East as he pledged continued support for the fight against ISIS.

Visiting dignitary Josep Borrell made the comments during a meeting with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, according to a statement issued shortly afterward by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Borrell stressed "the importance of the Kurdistan Region's position as a force of stability in the region, as well as the continued support and coordination of the European Union, especially in the war against terrorism," according to the press release.

For his part, Barzani thanked the EU for its support and for teams preparing to "monitor the upcoming Iraqi elections, especially in the Kurdish regions outside the administration of the region (in Iraq's disputed territories), to hold free and fair elections that guarantee the rights of the various components, and achieve its aspirations.”

After arriving to Erbil on a flight from Baghdad earlier in the day, Borrell voiced similar sentiments in a joint press conference with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.

Prime Minister Barzani stressed "the necessity of implementing the Iraqi constitution, and that equality, justice, and true partnership be the basis for a rational government in Iraq."

The statement pointed out that the meeting also dealt with ways to strengthen economic relations between the Kurdistan Region and the European Union, in addition to discussing reforms in the ninth cabinet, relations between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government, and the situation of displaced people and refugees in the Kurdistan Region.