PM Barzani, UN chief discuss Iranian attacks on Erbil
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday discussed the latest Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Erbil with the United Nations secretary general in Davos, Switzerland.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his deep condolences to Prime Minister Barzani on the civilian casualties sustained from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacks that were launched against Erbil’s residential areas on Monday night, a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) read.
They agreed that violating Iraqi sovereignty and targeting civilians is unjustifiable, per the statement.
Speaking of the latest developments in Iraq, the officials agreed that resolving the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad should be based on the Iraqi constitution.
In his meetings with Western leaders on the sideline of the annual meetings, Barzani discussed the Iranian attacks on the Kurdish capital, which had drawn widespread condemnation from international bodies and Western countries.
I was pleased to catch up with SG @antonioguterres in Davos today. We discussed recent progress between Erbil and Baghdad, as well tensions across the region.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) January 17, 2024
On KRI, we agreed that there can be no justification for attacks on civilians. #wef24 #KurdistanAtDavos. pic.twitter.com/i0M0lTTntm
The United Nations Assitance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Tuesday condemned the attacks, calling for dialogue to resolve security concerns.
The premier similarly highlighted the attacks in his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Davos.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday condemned the attacks and reiterated the US support for the Kurdistan Region in a meeting with Barzani.
In protest of the attacks, both Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani and Prime Minister Barzani canceled their meetings with the Iranian Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.