President Barzani: Kurdistan won't be part of sectarian conflict in Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani stated that the Kurdistan Region has never been part of the sectarian conflict in Iraq, and it will never be.

On Sunday, Barzani met United Nations Secretary-General to Iraq Jan Kubis and his accompanied delegates in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region.

In the meeting, Kubis congratulated Barzani for the successes that Peshmerga forces have achieved in their fight against the Islamic State (IS) militants in northern Iraq, especially the current successful military operation of liberating the town of Sinjar located in Northern Iraq.

Besides praising Peshmerga, Kubis stated that the entire world was waiting for Sinjar’s liberation, and this was done by the hands of Peshmerga forces.

Sinjar is a Kurdish Yazidi town that was controlled by the extremists on August 2014. In a successful military operation on November 13, Peshmerga forces, in coordination with U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, liberated Sinjar town and pushed back jihadists in the area.

In another part of the meeting, UN Secretary-General stated that the UN hopes to see stability in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as it closely watches the deepened sectarian tension taking place in the area.

Kubis also mentioned that UN is aware of the heavy load on the Kurdistan Region regarding the financial crisis and IS war. Additionally, he called on the world countries to help the Kurdistan Region and Iraq economically in addition to the humanitarian aid to overcome issues in the region and eradicate jihadists in the country.

Barzani explained the plan of Sinjar liberation to Kubis and his delegates and marked it as "a big success" for the people of the Kurdistan Region.

President Barzani touched upon the Kurdistan Region's policy regarding jihadist war and sectarian conflict in the country. He mentioned that the Kurdistan Region has never been part of the sectarian conflict, and it will never let Kurdistan Region be a battlefield for such kind of conflict.

In the end, Barzani showed the Kurdistan Region's support and cooperation with any party or country aiming to fight IS insurgents, and he thanked those countries that so far have been supporting the Kurdistan Region, stating "we will remember their support." 

The current situation in the Middle East was another subject of the meeting that the pair discussed.