Politics

KDP Barzani thanks UK solidarity, support following deadly missile attacks

The “unjustified attack by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was a colossal aggression” against the Kurdistan Region, Barzani said.

Kurdistan 24 2024/01/17 19:17

KDP President Masoud Barzani (right) during his meeting with UK Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Hitchen in Erbil, Jan. 17, 2024. (Photo: Barzani Headquarters)

Kurdistan KDP UK Stephen Charles Hitchen

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani on Wednesday extended his appreciation to the United Kingdom for its support and solidarity with the Kurdistan Region following deadly Iranian ballistic missiles, according to a statement.

President Barzani received UK Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Hitchen in Erbil alongside his delegation in Erbil, where they discussed the latest developments in the region.

The KDP leader thanked the ambassador and his government for the support and solidarity they showed to the Kurdish region following the deadly attack, a statement from Barzani Headquarters read.

The “unjustified attack by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was a colossal aggression” against the Kurdistan Region, which has always sought balanced relations with its neighbors based on mutual respect, the statement added.

Ambassador Hitchen extended his condolences to Barzani for the civilian causalities sustained as a result of the attacks, the statement said.

The UK “respects the integrity and sovereignty of Iraq,” the diplomat said.

I am visiting Erbil today to demonstrate the UK’s solidarity with the KRI after yesterday’s appalling attack by Iran. I have just met KDP President Masoud Barzani @masoud_barzani and will meet other leaders shortly. pic.twitter.com/nmTQ8BMjmn
— Stephen Hitchen FCDO (@SCHitchenFCDO) January 17, 2024

“I am visiting Erbil today to demonstrate the UK’s solidarity with the KRI after yesterday’s appalling attack by Iran,” Ambassador Hitchen said in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.

Hours after the missile attacks on Erbil, the UK secretary of foreign affairs and ambassador in Iraq condemned the attacks on Tuesday.

The attacks drew widespread condemnation from Western countries as well as the United Nations. Baghdad recalled its ambassador from Tehran in protest of what it described as a violation of its sovereignty.

The Iraqi government later filed an official complaint to the United Nations Security Council on the attacks.

The IRGC similarly targeted another residence of a Kurdish businessman in 2022, resulting in significant material damage to the mansion.