PM Barzani, UK military delegation discuss Peshmerga reforms

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday received the United Kingdom's Chief of Defense Staff's Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa, Air Marshal Martin Sammy Sampson and his accompanying delegation, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The UK Consul General to Erbil Rosy Cave also attended the meeting, the statement added. 

Both officials discussed Erbil-Baghdad ties, the general situation in Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region. 

Furthermore, they stressed the importance of safeguarding the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional rights and upholding the Erbil-Baghdad agreements.

“The prime minister expressed the KRG’s eagerness to facilitate the forthcoming parliamentary election, with both parties emphasising the need to hold the election at its scheduled time,” the statement read.

PM Barzani also expressed KRG’s readiness to enact all the necessary procedures to make the electoral process successful. 

During the meeting, Kurdish issues outside the KRG's control were discussed, as well as ending land occupations, supporting security institutions,  and reforming the Peshmerga Ministry.

As an integral part of the 86-member Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the UK has been assisting the Kurdish and Iraqi forces in the fight against the terror group, whose self-styled caliphate was brought down in 2017.

London has provided opportunities for Kurdish cadres to study at the UK’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, including two female Peshmerga officers for training.