British Minister: UK committed to supporting Kurdistan Region

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – Head of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Foreign Relations Falah Mustafa on Tuesday met with British Minister of State for Middle East Affairs, Tobias Ellwood in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region.

On Tuesday, Mustafa met Ellwood and discussed Kurdish Peshmerga advances against the Islamic State (IS) insurgents in northern Iraq. The discussion highlighted the humanitarian situation of the displaced refugees and internally displaced peoples (IDPs) in the Kurdistan Region.

Consul-General of the United Kingdom in Erbil, Angus McKee, and Assistant Head of KRG Foreign Relations, Siham Jabali were also present in the meeting.

Ellwood praised the role of the Kurdistan Region in providing basic needs to the refugees and IDPs in the Region and also praised the role of Peshmerga forces in defeating jihadists. Bilateral cooperation was another subject of the discussion between both sides.

In the meeting, Ellwood stated, "The UK is committed to supporting the Kurdistan Region; we welcome the opportunity to help the Kurdistan Region improve its institutions." He added, "I know that there are challenges facing the region, but the direction in which the KRG is going is a positive one.”

Mustafa expressed the gratitude of the people and government of the Kurdistan Region to the United Kingdom for supporting the KRG during such a difficult time. He mentioned that the KRG desires to expand its relations with the UK in all fields.

Mustafa also expressed hope that companies from the UK will further engage and invest in the Kurdistan Region in the near future.