Netherlands willing to 'strengthen' relations with Kurdistan, Dutch envoy tells Kurdish PM
"There is a good opportunity for the Kurdistan Region to benefit from the expertise, skills, and experience of the Netherlands."
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Netherlands is willing to "strengthen" its relations with the Kurdistan Region, the top Dutch envoy to Iraq told Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in a meeting in Erbil.
Dutch Ambassador to Iraq Michel Rentenaar Consul-General to Erbil Hans Akerboom met with Prime Minister Barzani on Sunday. They discussed developing bilateral ties between Kurdistan and the European country, a statement from Barzani's office said.
The Dutch Ambassador expressed his country's willingness to "strengthen relations with the Kurdistan Region" and stressed the importance of continued support for and training of Peshmerga forces, the press release added.
Prime Minister Barzani, in turn, "thanked the Dutch support" for the Kurdistan Region. He highlighted the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) reforms agenda, diversifying revenue sources, and developing the region's agricultural and industrial sectors.
"There is a good opportunity for the Kurdistan Region to benefit from the expertise, skills, and experience of the Netherlands," Barzani noted.
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Additionally, the two sides reiterated the importance of implementing the Sinjar (Shingal) Agreement to restore stability and safety to the Yezidi-majority town.
In October 2020, the Government of Iraq and the KRG announced they had reached an agreement to restore and normalize the situation in the Shingal area, where competing armed groups are active.
The agreement involves understandings on security, civil administration, reconstruction and service rehabilitation, and the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs.)
Read More: KRG and Baghdad reach administrative, security agreement on Sinjar
Editing by Khrush Najari