Kurdistan Region president, UK Defense Minister meet in London

Mustafa Shilani 2021/09/16 17:20

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani (left) poses with UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace in London, Sept. 15, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan Region Presidency)

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ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On an official visit abroad, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday met in London with UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace to discuss several issues related to security coordination and the ongoing fight against ISIS militants.

In their meeting, attended by UK Ambassador to Iraq Mark Bryson-Richardson, officials covered the latest security developments in Iraq and the autonomous region, including continuing fears of the re-emergence of ISIS, according to a statement by Barzani's office.

They spoke in detail of the extremist group's threat "to the security and stability of Iraq, the region, and the world," and the lasting need for support by the international community for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to confront it.

Minister Wallace spoke of the continued participation of his nation's forces within the framework of the US-led Coalition to Defeat ISIS, stressing the UK's full support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in their fight and "expressing gratitude and praise for the sacrifices and the role of the Peshmerga and the Kurdistan Region."

For his part, President Nechirvan Barzani renewed his thanks and appreciation for London's role and "highly valued" UK military assistance, referring in particular to the presence of advisers' teams as part of training programs for Peshmerga forces.

They also discussed the importance of security coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi military to fight terrorism, programs of reform, and moving toward unifying the Peshmerga's chain of command.