President Barzani meets with int leaders at Munich Security Conference

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Friday met with several leading officials on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Council (MSC) conference in Germany, discussing security developments and a host of other topics.

President Barzani met with various leaders and high level officials on Friday, where he discussed security developments and further cooperation between the Kurdistan Region and other countries following his arrival in Germany late Thursday.

In a meeting with the Vatican's Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, the two officials highlighted recent security developments in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, where both sides highlighted "the importance of protecting the culture of coexistence and forgiveness," emphasizing the need for acceptance between people of different religious backgrounds.

The two officials also thanked the countries that helped the Yazidi and Christian minorities in Iraq following the Islamic State's (ISIS) offensive in Iraq in 2014.

Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are approaching the anniversary of Pope Francis's historic visit to the region, which marked the first-ever papal visit to Iraq.

President Barzani also met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, touching on the ongoing government formation procedures as Iraq struggles to form a new government. Mikati briefed the president about Lebanon's current political, security, and economic situations.

President Barzani reiterated the Kurdistan Region's desire to secure bilateral relations with Lebanon, to which the prime minister reacted by expressing Lebanon's readiness to cooperate further with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. He also formally invited President Barzani to visit Lebanon.

On the sidelines of the conference in Munich, President Barzani met the United Arab Emirates Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, where the two studied the need to maintain peace and stability in their respective countries, as well as touching on the importance of a "peaceful and healthy environment for foreign investment in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region."

On Friday afternoon, President Barzani discussed with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani recent political developments in Iraq. The two officials stressed the "need and importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East," agreeing that "all efforts should be made to quell the conflict and solve the problems."
 
Later on Thursday, President Barzani met with Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas, where the two emphasized the need to address Iraq’s problems as well as show greater efficiency in the fight against terrorism. 

Schinas thanked Erbil and Baghdad for their cooperation with the European Union (EU) on the situation regarding refugees.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani is also attending the conference in Munich.

"I'm delighted to return to Munich for the 58th @MunSecConf. We meet at a moment of great uncertainty for global security and the global economy. And I look forward to adding our voice to #MSC2022 debate," he said in a tweet on Thursday. 

According to the prime minister's Deputy Chief of Staff Aziz Ahmad, the officials will lead separate delegations, but "both leaders will have several joint meetings in the margins," he said.

Top officials from the Kurdistan Region have attended the previous editions of the conference in recent years.

The conference comes as tensions between Russia and the West escalate on the border with Ukraine. It also coincides with an increase in ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria. The group attacked the Kurdish-held al-Sina'a prison, which included thousands of ISIS prisoners, on January 20 but the jail was retaken after more than a week of clashes.

The attack has alarmed both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi government whose disputed borders have been exploited by ISIS.

President Barzani also met with the Saudi foreign minister, Turkish defence minister and Italian defence minister. 

Meeting with UN secretary

President Nechirvan Barzani and PM Masrour Barzani had a joint meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, discussing several key issues. 

“During the meeting, after providing a briefing on the latest political developments and the situation in Iraq in general, Kurdistan Region’s President and Prime Minister thanked the United Nations’ support for Iraq, especially the role of UNAMI in Iraqi elections,” read a statement from Kurdistan Region Presidency. 


Both sides also talked about the ISIS threat, noting that “Daesh still poses a serious and real threat, and it threatens the stability and security of Iraq and Syria,” the statement added. 

ISIS has been exploiting the security gas between the Kurdistan Region and federal-controlled areas. Erbil and Baghdad have been trying to fill the gap to curb ISIS activities. Guterres and both Kurdish officials said the coordination between the regional and federal governments against ISIS is “important.”

Kurdistan Region’s upcoming elections, legal disputes with Baghdad on oil and gas and Guterres’ possible visit to Iraq were also discussed.

PM Barzani said in a tweet that they also discussed the formation of the next Iraqi government as well as the political challenges in the country. 



By Julian Bechocha

Updated at 9:40pm