President Barzani meets with top Italian officials in Rome

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Thursday held meetings with several top Italian officials during his trip to Rome after meeting with Pope Francis. 

Barzani arrived in Rome on Thursday and was received by the Pope in Vatican City. Both stressed the need to preserve and promote peace and fraternity. The Kurdish president also handed the pontiff a painting depicting the coexistence among the Kurdistan Region’s various components.

President Barzani later met with several Italian officials, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, foreign minister Antonio Tajani, speaker of the parliament Lorenzo Fontana and the speaker of the country’s senate Ignazio La Russa.

"We reiterated our commitment to further broaden our ties. I thanked the Prime Minister for Italy’s support for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq during trying times," said Barzani in a tweet after meeting with Meloni. 

Tajani and Barzani “discussed the strengthening of Italian relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, Italian job opportunities and investment in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and expanding mutual cooperation, especially in the fields of economy and energy,” according to a readout from Barzani’s office.  

The Italian foreign minister also said that they want to expand their representation in the Region. 

La Russa “expressed his gratitude for the Kurdistan Region and the role of the Peshmerga in defeating ISIS [Islamic State], stating that: “We thank you for standing against ISIS on behalf of the entire world,” read a statement from Barzani’s office.  

Italy and the Kurdistan Region have shared strong relations since 2003, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has a representative in the Italian capital of Rome. Former Italian PM Giuseppe Conte visited the Kurdistan Region in 2019.

Italy has been a member of the global coalition against ISIS since 2014, and has up to 900 soldiers deployed to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, providing military advice and training to the Peshmerga forces.