European Parliament delegation visits Kurdistan as a 'message of friendship'

"Our message is first a message of friendship for Kurdistan," she said.

Nathalie Loiseau, Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Nathalie Loiseau, Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A six-member European Parliament delegation visited Erbil this week as a "message of friendship for Kurdistan," the Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence Nathalie Loiseau told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday. 

Loiseau was accompanied by six members of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence. They visited Baghdad and Erbil on May 23-26 to discuss EU-Iraq security and defense cooperation. 

They also discussed the challenges Iraq is facing following the territorial defeat of ISIS, including the ongoing humanitarian crisis, regional stabilization and recovery, and overall reforms and reconciliation. 

"We started in Baghdad for two days, and we arrived in Erbil yesterday evening. This morning we met with President (Nechirvan) Barzani and then with the Speaker of the Assembly, then with the Minister of Peshmerga," Loiseau told reporters during a roundtable of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) on Wednesday.

"Our message is first a message of friendship for Kurdistan," she said. "You know that in Europe, Kurdistan is dear to our heart for a long time, and even more because we are together in the fight against ISIS. You suffered a lot from terrorism. We suffered as well in Europe."

"We couldn't have defeated ISIS without you without the braveness of the Peshmerga," she added. "So first, it's a message of friendship, a message of support. Individual member states of the European Union are active on the ground." 

Loiseau also said that the European Union is supporting "recovery and reconstruction" in the region. 

As members of the European parliament, she continued, they want to see what "can be improved and what can be enhanced because you are in a very important region for Europe, and we will stay the course with you in the future."

Moreover, during a press conference on Thursday, Loiseau paid tribute to the Kurdistan Region for "welcoming so many different people, so many minorities."

She also praised the tolerance for religious minorities in the region. 

"It is something very special in Kurdistan that we all value and that we are all aware of in Europe," she said. 

In addition, she said that the fight against ISIS is not over yet, "This is why we are still present."

However, she added that the goal isn't to be in Iraq forever, saying that "The objective is to defeat terrorism in the long run, and to have stakeholders in the country able to deal with it without the support of the international community."

On the issue of the Kurdistan Region's parliamentary elections, scheduled for Oct. 1, Loiseau said that she hopes the elections can take place as soon as all the "political and legal issues are solved."

Recently, Kurdish leaders were invited by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for "a joint closed meeting" to discuss the upcoming elections amidst intra-Kurdish party disputes.

Read More: UNAMI head invites Kurdish parties for 'joint closed meeting'

"But I know that Kurdish leaders have experience, and the European Union is not here to patronize Kurdish leaders," Loiseau concluded. 

"We simply hope that this election will take place in due time."