President Barzani discusses Syria with German Interior Ministry official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Hans-Georg Engelke, state secretary at Germany’s Ministry of the Interior and Community, in Munich on Friday, discussing the latest developments in Syria, among other topics.

Following their meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Engelke told Rudaw that they “talked about Syria. I don't want to repeat every detail, but naturally we are all interested in the developments and hope that it is on a good path to improve the previously terrible situation in Syria.”

“The president laid out his view of the developments in the country for me, and that was incredibly helpful for me because we believe that the president… knows us well, but at the same time also understands the mentality in the region,” he noted. 

He said Germany, which hosts a large Syrian refugee population, is closely watching developments in the country.

“In Germany, this is of particular importance because we naturally have many people from Syria. Many want to return, some want to stay. This affects us very strongly, of course. We are very interested in a peaceful, stable, democratic Syria, whatever form it takes,” he added.  

The German parliament earlier this month passed a motion that brings in new immigration-related measures: preventing illegal immigration, deporting illegal immigrants, deporting foreign criminals, imprisoning immigrants who must leave Germany, and ending family reunification. 

The vote came after a deadly attack by an Afghan asylum seeker whose application had been rejected. 

The Kurdistan Region Presidency said President Barzani and the German official “focused on enhancing security cooperation between Germany, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region.”

“Both parties highlighted the importance of enhancing German collaboration with the relevant authorities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, focusing on matters related to migrants, illegal immigration, crime prevention, as well as the state of Erbil-Baghdad relations and the overall internal situation in both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” it added.