Politics

Kurdish Interior Minister meets Key Officials at United Nations

As Ahmed was the first KRG minister to visit Washington since the formation of the new Iraqi government last October, he is the first KRG minister to visit New York.
author_image Laurie Mylroie
A view of the Secretariat building with flags of Member States in the foreground, at UN Headquarters (Photo: UN Photo/Manuel Elias UN Photo/Manuel Elias)
A view of the Secretariat building with flags of Member States in the foreground, at UN Headquarters (Photo: UN Photo/Manuel Elias UN Photo/Manuel Elias)
USA Reber Ahmed KRG USA New York Ruven Menikdiwela Amb Jeffrey DeLaurentis

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – After a week packed with meetings in Washington, the Interior Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Reber Ahmed, held a series of meetings on Monday in New York with key officials from the United Nations.

As Ahmed was the first KRG minister to visit Washington since the formation of the new Iraqi government last October, he is the first KRG minister to visit New York.

Ahmed met with Ruven Menikdiwela, Director of the United Nations High Commissioner’s Office for Refugees (UNHCR) in New York, as well as senior figures at the US, French, and UK missions to the UN—three of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

The Kurdistan Region hosts nearly one million refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs.) Last week, during his meetings in Washington, State Department officials repeatedly thanked Ahmed for the KRG’s efforts in hosting them, while he thanked the US, the biggest donor of aid to Iraq, for the financial support that it provides.

Read More: U.S. thanks KRG for ‘Generous Support’ of Refugees, IDPs

In his meeting with the UNHCR Director, they discussed “the pressing humanitarian situation in Kurdistan,” as the KRG Representation in Washington tweeted. 

“Minister Ahmed emphasized the need for continued UN aid to support displaced people, including Syrian refugees,” while “he stressed @Kurdistan’s commitment to a voluntary and dignified policy for the return of IDPs to their places of origin.”

Ahmed also saw Amb. Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Senior Advisor for Security Council Affairs at the US mission in New York.

The KRG Representation described their meeting as “a productive and insightful discussion on the humanitarian, political, and security situation in Iraq and the need for international donors recognizing the challenges faced by IDPs and refugees in Kurdistan.”

In addition, Ahmed met with the UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb. James Kariuki.

“They discussed the longstanding relationship between @Kurdistan and the UK, exchanged views on recent developments in Kurdistan and Iraq, and underscored the crucial importance of the international community’s sustained attention to the humanitarian situation in #Kurdistan and Syria,” the KRG Representation tweeted.

Since the 1980s, France has been especially friendly to the Kurds. That was a position set by Danielle Mitterrand, wife of the French ex-President, Francois Mitterand. She took a particular interest in the plight of the Kurds, and that continues to this day.

In New York, Minister Ahmed also saw France’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Nathalie Broadhurst. They had “a friendly and comprehensive exchange on the security, humanitarian and economic challenges in #Kurdistan, Iraq and the wider region,” the KRG Representation tweeted, while the Minister “urged donors and UN agencies” to continue their support for “the displaced communities.”

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