Belgium pleased with its relations with Kurdistan Region: Belgian PM

“We are very grateful for the support we have received from Mr. Barzani and his government.”
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo speaks to Kurdistan 24’s reporter Barzan Hassan in Brussels, March 24, 2023 (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo speaks to Kurdistan 24’s reporter Barzan Hassan in Brussels, March 24, 2023 (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told Kurdistan 24’s Barzan Hassan during the EU summit in Brussels on Friday that the Belgian government is pleased with the cooperation between Belgium and the Kurdish authorities in Iraq.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in January met with the Belgian Prime Minister in Davos, where they discussed strengthening bilateral ties between the Kurdistan Region and Belgium.

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“As you know, we have worked together on a few initiatives,” Belgian PM Alexander De Croo told Kurdistan 24. “One of them is trying to liberate Belgian children from the camps on the border with Syria and we are very grateful for the support we have received from PM Barzani and his government.”

Belgium has repatriated several ISIS mothers and their children from camps in northeast Syria last year.

Moreover, he said that Belgium and the Iraqi Kurds have common interests in “trying to stabilize the region.”

He also said it's important for Belgium to increase trade in the region, a topic discussed with PM Barzani. “This is important for the Kurdish region in Iraq, but also for Iraq in general.”

The Belgian PM described its military cooperation with the Kurdish Peshmerga as “a good effort that we have been doing together over the past months.”

“However, what it will look like over the next [several] months is difficult to stay; but we are happy with the cooperation between Belgium and the Kurdish authorities in Iraq,” he concluded.