President Barzani meets with world officials on the 2nd day of Munich Security Conference

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with a number of world officials on the second day of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Saturday. 

Barzani, who arrived in Germany late Thursday, met with several world leaders and ministers as well as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday. 

He held meetings with more world officials on Saturday. 

President Barzani concluded his visit to Germany late Saturday, he said late Saturday. 

"It was an opportunity to exchange views on regional peace, security and stability, and to discuss latest political developments in Iraq and the region," he tweeted. 

President Barzani and German Lawmaker Nils Schmid, who is also spokesperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Bundestag, discussed several key issues during their meeting on Saturday such as migration of Kurdish people to Europe through Belarusian borders, the Islamic State (ISIS) threats and Germany’s recent renewal of army’s military mission in Iraq, according to a statement from Barzani’s office. 

“Regarding the Yazidi IDPs, President Nechirvan Barzani reaffirmed that if the agreement to normalise the situation in Shingal is implemented it will bring a good opportunity for stability and the return of Yazidis to their places,” it added. 

President Barzani also met with the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Jordan on Saturday.

The Jordanian foreign ministry said that they had met with President Barzani to "review the prospects for cooperation with the Region."

Barzani's foreign affairs advisor Falah Mustafa told Rudaw that while meeting with different officials, they discussed "the relations between Erbil and Baghdad, the effects of the October elections, and Iraqi political process, along with the latest steps especially from the Federal Supreme Court."

"Every country wants stability in Iraq, and this means there should be a proper relationship between Erbil and Baghdad, the implementation of the constitution, and establishing federalism," he added.

Later in the day, President Barzani in separate occasions met with Thomas Hitschler and Niels Annen, parliamentary secretaries of state in the Federal Ministry of Defense and Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development respectively.  

In the meetings, the president expressed the Kurdistan Region’s gratitude to Germany for their humanitarian and military support to Iraq and the region. He also touched on Germany’s construction of the Peshmerga hospital and highlighted the German military’s key role in training Peshmerga fighters. 

The German officials emphasized on the need for continued cooperation between the two sides, and praised the Kurdistan Region for their efforts in combating ISIS.

Barzani also met with US Representative Elissa Slotkin and Swedish foreign minister Ann Linde on the sidelines of MSC.  

"We talked about the future of the Kurdish areas of Iraq, we talked about the relationship between the Kurdish areas of Iraq and Baghdad, and then how the United States can help," Slotkin told Rudaw, adding that they had a "very positive meeting".

The Swedish minister said that she had discussed Iraq's political situation and regional developments.

Glad to meet with KRG President Nechirvan Barzani @IKRPresident here at @MunSecConf. Discussed the political situation in Iraq and developments in the region. pic.twitter.com/5cAZXrZS3C

— Ann Linde (@AnnLinde) February 19, 2022

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

Both Kurdish officials met with Guterres on Friday. 

“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. 

Both Prime Minister and President Barzani on Saturday met with a US Congressional delegation, headed by Senator Lindsey Graham.

#Kurdistan @IKRPresident Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister @masrour_barzani met with a U.S. Congressional delegation, headed by Senator Lindsay Graham. #MSC2022 pic.twitter.com/lyIo4xcaj6

— Kurdistan Region Presidency (@KurdistanRegion) February 19, 2022

Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the MSC, told Rudaw on Friday that the participation of heads of regions is important, saying the invitation of President Barzani to the event is the “right decision.”

“I believe that one can say that a good side of the Munich Security Conference could be the fact that we do not only invite the heads of countries and governments as per protocols but also those of the regions, as they are important when it comes to the global and regional policy as well as crisis policy. Therefore, I believe it has been the right decision in the last few years to invite Kurdish leadership, Barzani,” he said. 

President Barzani also met with the Foreign Minister of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during the evening, and the two discussed methods in which they can expand their cooperation, such as paving the way for Indian companies to invest in the region.

The Indian FM expressed his appreciation for the Kurdistan Region for its support of India, reiterating that they can greatly benefit the region in the fields of education, banking, and health.

 

The two discussed efforts against terrorism and the consequences of the war against ISIS, touching on the situation of the notorious al-Hol camp in Syria, largely branded a breeding ground for terrorism. The two agreed that besides defeating ISIS militarily, the ideology must be defeated through promoting coexistence and educating the masses on the values of tolerance.