Kurdish delegation in Munich seek economic ties and security cooperation

MUNICH, Germany—The Kurdish presidential delegation has met with several European and Middle Eastern leaders in Munch in the last two days where they have discussed Kurdistan Region’s economic situation and the war against the Islamic State (ISIS).

“The Europeans promised to expand the economic relations they have with the Kurdistan Region because that will help the economy,” Kurdistan president’s Chief of Staff Fuad Hussein told Rudaw. “And they said that they will take this issue of Kurdistan’s economy seriously within the EU.”

“They said they will also discuss the situation of the Peshmerga who are in need of financial support,” he added. “They said once they return to their countries they will try to win help for the Kurdistan Region through their own mutual ties and ties with the Kurdistan Region.”

The delegation led by President Masoud Barzani met with Germany’s CDU and Social Democrat party and expected to hold a meeting with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

“We will discuss these issues with Germany and have discussed them already in detail,” Hussein said.

Other meetings included the President of Macedonia in which Hussein said both presidents discussed economic ties and the migrant crisis in Macedonia where there are many Kurdish asylum seekers.

“We spoke of mutual economic ties as well as the topic of migrants,” the Kurdish president’s chief of staff said. “The Macedonian president said that a number of Kurdish migrants from the Kurdistan Region are in his country. We agreed that an economic delegation from Macedonia will visit the Kurdistan Region and our delegation goes there in order to find a mechanism of cooperation.”

According to Hussein Macedonian nationals are in the ranks of ISIS which could bring Erbil and Skopje closer on intelligence sharing.

“We spoke with the president of Macedonia about the war with ISIS because it appears that some people from that country have joined and fight with ISIS,” Hussein revealed. “We discussed ways of cooperation about intelligence sharing on those terrorists who come from that country and information that we possess.”

Hussein said that President Barzani is to deliver a speech tomorrow at the Munich Security Conference the highlight of which will be the financial situation, the war with ISIS and Peshmerga victories.