PM Barzani, UK military delegation discuss regional security developments

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Erbil-Baghdad ties and security concerns in the region led discussions between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) top official and a high-level British military delegation on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani received a delegation led by the UK’s Defense Senior Advisor on the Middle East, Lieutenant-General Sir John Lorimer. Also attending the meeting was British General Consul to Erbil, James Thornton.
Barzani and Lorimer discussed the latest security developments in Iraq and Syria, emphasizing the necessity for constructive dialogue in trying to resolve disagreements rather than resort to violence.

During the meeting, both sides expressed concerns regarding the security and humanitarian consequences of prolonged fighting in the region, notably in Syria.   

Lieutenant-General Lorimer praised the KRG’s recent steps towards reform in the Kurdistan Region’s institutions, specifically the ministry of Peshmerga.   

Recent developments in Iraq were also discussed, with Barzani and Lorimer acknowledging the need for ongoing negotiations between KRG and the Iraqi Federal government, which will serve the interest of all peoples in Iraq.  

Ties between Erbil and Baghdad considerably deteriorated following the Kurdistan Region’s historic independence referendum in September 2017. Relations began to improve, namely after the formation of the new Iraqi government in late 2018, headed by Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi.

Security tension in Iraq and Syria heightened following the large scale demonstrations in a number of Iraqi provinces against ongoing government corruption and the recent Turkish military assault on northeastern Syria, resulting in casualties and displacement in the mainly Kurdish towns.  

The UK is a member of the Coalition alongside Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, and the Netherlands, with troops conducting training at the Kurdistan Training Coordination Center (KTCC), with the purpose of developing skilled drill instructors within the Peshmerga, in the view they would eventually administer and carry out their own training programs in the future.

Editing by Nadia Riva