President Barzani meets leaders, officials in Munich

Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Saturday held meetings with a head of state and other high-ranking officials on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

The conference attracts world leaders and security experts and President Barzani has had scores of high-profile meetings on the sidelines since Friday, including with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

On Saturday, President Barzani began his meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“It was wonderful to meet my friend @presidentaz Ilham Aliyev this morning in Munich. We had good discussions on further enhancing bilateral cooperation between the Kurdistan Region, Iraq and Azerbaijan, and underscored the importance of addressing regional issues through peaceful means,” President Barzani said in a post on X.

They also talked about Azerbaijan opening a consulate in Erbil, “which will help to further develop relations,” according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.

"The latest developments in the Middle East and the threats to peace and stability were also discussed at the meeting. The two sides reiterated their commitment to maintaining peace and stability and working together for this purpose,” the statement added. 

Aliyev was re-elected as president of Azerbaijan earlier this month. President Barzani congratulated him at the time and again in Munich.

Over 6,000 Kurds were counted living in Azerbaijan in the 2009 consensus, according to the London-based Minority Rights Group International. The human rights monitor estimated that the number of Kurds in Azerbaijan during the 1990’s was up to 200,000, but suggested that the massive drop is due to the large number of Azerbaijani Kurds that have assimilated into Azeri identity.

President Barzani also met with Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

“They discussed strengthening bilateral relations and furthering efforts towards regional peace and security,” the Kurdistan Region Presidency said. “The latest developments in the Erbil-Baghdad talks to resolve their issues and the situation in the region in general were another aspect of the meeting.”

President Barzani also held a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

“We covered recent developments in Iraq and the wider region, sharing perspectives on continued efforts to promoting regional peace and security from the standpoint of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq,” Barzani tweeted.

The two leaders discussed “the latest developments and security challenges in Iraq and the Middle East, the Erbil-Baghdad meetings to solve the pending issues, and the Kurdistan Region’s elections,” according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.

President Barzani and Cameron also touched upon the global coalition to fight ISIS and the security and political situation in Iraq and Kurdistan Region.

Cameron “reiterated the commitment of his country to continue aid and support to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and enhance bilateral relations,” according to the statement.

The Munich Security Conference is a global meeting for discussions on international security policy. The event brings together 450 high-profile and senior decision-makers and thinkers, including heads of state, ministers, as well as leading figures from non-governmental organizations, industry, media, academia, and civil society.

President Barzani met with Jordan's King Abdullah II on the sidelines of the conference.
 
"I’m honored to meet with HM @KingAbdullahII in Munich. We agreed that lasting security and stability in the Middle East can only be achieved through dialogue and consensus building," Barzani said in a post on X. 

"I expressed gratitude to HM for his steadfast support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region," he added. 

President Barzani also met with Nils Schmid, the parliamentary spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).