ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Sunday concluded his participation at the Munich Security Conference by holding more high-profile meetings on the sidelines of the third day of the conference, discussing security and stability in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the wider Middle East.
President Barzani met with a US Congress delegation led by Congressman Michael Turner, discussing “various important topics including the bilateral relations between the United States and both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
During the meeting, Barzani emphasized his gratitude for the continued US support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, the statement said.
Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani met with a US Congress delegation on the last day of the Munich Security Conference. #MSC2024
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) February 18, 2024
📽️: Office of President Barzani pic.twitter.com/RLu5eFTC2H
The president then met with US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander, discussing the turbulent situation in the Middle East as well as ongoing security threats to Iraq against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza war.
“Both parties agreed on the significance for the wider region of peace, security and political stability in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. They also highlighted the potential risk of the escalation of the Gaza war engulfing the region, underscoring the importance of Iraq avoiding embroilment in external issues,” said a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
Nearly 29,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel declared war on Palestinian Hamas after the group infiltrated Israeli territory on October 7 and killed some 1,200 people. On Monday, Israel killed hundreds when it launched a military offensive into Gaza’s southernmost Rafah, a city it initially told Palestinians to evacuate to.
The meeting also “touched upon the negative repercussions of targeting and attacking coalition forces in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” agreeing that such actions pose a significant threat to the security and sovereignty of Iraq.
American personnel in Iraq and Syria have been the target of some 165 attacks by Iran-aligned militias since October 17, against the backdrop of Washington’s support for Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip.
Tensions are high between Washington and Baghdad over US retaliatory strikes inside Iraqi territory. The Iraqi government has begun the process of winding down the coalition’s mission in the country, but Kurdish leaders have said they want international forces to remain to help combat the ISIS threat. The majority of Kurdish lawmakers in the Iraqi parliament were absent from a session last week condemning the US strikes and calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from the country.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Celeste Wallander, the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, on the sidelines of #MSC2024
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) February 18, 2024
📽️: Office of President Barzani pic.twitter.com/NibXkxBTeA
Dilshad Shahab, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency, told reporters outside the meeting hall that during the meetings, there was a general consensus that the Region plays a critical role in addressing the Middle East’s problems.
“The [Kurdistan] Region is seen as a key actor in the region’s problems,” he said.
President Barzani also met with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, discussing “Estonia’s relations and cooperation with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, especially in the security field, and the role of Estonian forces in the international coalition against ISIS [Islamic State] in the Kurdistan Region,” according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
Estonia has been a member of the US-led global coalition against ISIS since 2016. The country deployed a unit of up to 110 members to Erbil in April, responsible for manning the base defense, rapid response, and providing security for advisors during activities outside the Erbil airbase.
Barzani and Kallas also touched on the visit of Estonian President Alar Karis to Erbil in January, where he met with Barzani. It marked the first ever visit of an Estonian president to the Kurdistan Region.
“Both sides stressed the common desire to develop relations in all fields,” the statement said.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas at the Munich Security Conference.
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) February 18, 2024
📽️: Office of President Barzani pic.twitter.com/PzrJLXKGym
President Barzani concluded his participation in the forum by meeting two advisors of French President Emmanuel Macron, discussing France’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
“The two sides exchanged views on the security and political developments in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and the impact and consequences of the unrest in the Middle East on the region,” according to a Kurdistan Region Presidency statement about Barzani’s meeting with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic advisor to the French president, and Anne-Claire Legendre, the North Africa and Middle East advisor to the French president.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic advisor to the French president, and Anne-Claire Legendre, the North Africa and Middle East advisor to the French presidency at the #MSC2024
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) February 18, 2024
📸: Office of President Barzani pic.twitter.com/DFzK8dMbkh
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.
