ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region’s President Nechirvan Barzani on Saturday congratulated Britain’s King Charles III on his long awaited coronation, succeeding his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
“On behalf of the people of the Kurdistan Region, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to King Charles III on His Majesty’s coronation as the King of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms,” Barzani wrote on Twitter.
“I’m confident that the ties between Kurdistan and Iraq with the United Kingdom will continue to strengthen under His Majesty’s reign,” he added.
On Saturday, 74-year-old King Charles III was crowned in a royal ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey. More than 100 world leaders and officials, including Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, attended Britain’s first coronation since 1953.
حضر فخامة رئيس الجمهورية @LJRashid والسيدة الأولى شاناز إبراهيم أحمد, مراسم تتويج الملك تشارلز الثالث والملكة كاميلا في كنيسة دير ويستمنستر في لندن.
— رئاسة جمهورية العراق (@IraqiPresidency) May 6, 2023
وكان فخامته قد تلقى دعوة رسمية لحضور مراسم تتويج الملك تشارلز الثالث ملكا للمملكة المتحدة. pic.twitter.com/aO7sWc7BLS
Charles III succeeds his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in September 2022. Barzani was among the world leaders who attended her funeral in London.
The UK has been an important ally of the Kurdistan Region for decades. Over thirty years ago, former British Prime Minister Sir John Major played a key role in declaring a no-fly zone in the north of Iraq that provided a safe haven from the Baathist regime and allowed Kurds to gain some autonomy.
The Kingdom of Iraq was created from territories seized by Britain from the Ottoman Empire during World War I and Hashemite King Faisal I was crowned. Iraq remained under a British mandate until 1932 when it became a fully sovereign state.
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