Croatia supports Peshmerga

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – President of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, held a meeting with the Croatian President, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, on Sunday, the last day of the Munich Security Conference.

According to a statement released on the Kurdistan Region Presidency (KRP) website on Sunday, Kitarović praised the role Peshmerga forces have played in saving lives and congratulated Barzani for Peshmerga's success in liberating areas that were captured by the Islamic State (IS) insurgents.

“Barzani and Kitarović discussed the threats posed by IS extremists and the conditions of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the two sides agreed to address the needs of the displaced people,” the KRP statement added.

“We have discussed the war on ISIS and the economic crisis in the Kurdistan Region, and Croatia will definitely continue supporting Peshmerga forces,” Kitarović told reporters after her meeting with President Barzani.

Barzani also met with the German Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, and discussed the financial and economic situation in the Region and their negative impacts on the frontlines. President of the Kurdistan Region emphasised the value of further cooperation and coordination between the two sides.

During the Munich Security Conference, Barzani met several other officials in Germany to discuss the referendum, the war with IS, and the financial crisis in the Region.

Falah Mustafa the head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations told K24 that “The US, Germany, and other countries that met the Kurdistan Region delegation promised to support the Peshmerga forces through arming and training them.”

“We are happy that the countries in the international coalition against IS emphasize the importance of supporting Peshmerga,” Mustafa added. 

Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran
Editing by Ava Homa