German Foreign Minister thanks PM Barzani for hosting the largest number of IDPs since 2014

Baerbock stressed the continued support of Germany to the Kurdistan Region.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (right) during his meeting with German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock in Erbil, March 8, 2023. (Photo: KRG)
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (right) during his meeting with German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock in Erbil, March 8, 2023. (Photo: KRG)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, on Tuesday received a letter from Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

In the letter, the German Foreign Minister expressed her gratitude to PM Barzani for the warm and friendly welcome during her visit to the Kurdistan Region on March 7-10, the statement added.

Baerbock stressed the continued support of Germany to the Kurdistan Region, per the statement.

"I am pleased to hear from you that the protection of human rights, especially the rights of women and journalists, is of special importance to your government," she said in the letter and added that she warmly welcomes Barzani’s willingness to actively address the impacts of climate change, according to the statement.

The German Foreign Minister thanked Barzani for hosting the largest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Iraq since 2014 and still protecting them today. 

She also stated that Yazidis, Christians, and other minorities also need to be provided with social security, and she encouraged Barzani to continue working on this both in the Kurdistan region and in his dialogues with Baghdad.

Moreover, Baerbock hopes that Erbil-Baghdad relations will be built on a new and reliable foundation so that the lucrative natural resources of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are used in the best way for the welfare of its people.

Berlin, as part of the international coalition against ISIS, has assisted both Erbil and Baghdad in defeating the terror group which had controlled a third of the country.