During their meeting, President Barzani expressed full support for Fontana in his new position, and “reiterated the Kurdistan Region's desire to further strengthen its relations with Italy,” according to a statement from the president’s office.
For his part, Fontana “emphasized Italy’s commitment to enhancing its relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, stressing that efforts will be made to strengthen ties across all sectors.”
The two sides also discussed the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections, and the developments in the Middle East, especially the recent escalations in Syria.
Fontana arrived in Baghdad last month and presented his credential to Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on November 24, officially assuming his position as the head of the Italian mission in Iraq.
Italy enjoys good ties with the Kurdistan Region. During an interview with Rudaw earlier this year, Fontana’s predecessor, Maurizio Greganti said that Rome enjoys “excellent” relations with Erbil, adding that Italians and Kurds are emotionally very close.
Greganti said that Italy has a “very active” business in the Kurdistan Region, and the embassy tries to bring more Italian investments into the Region.
Italy is also a member of the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), which was formed by the United States in 2014 when the group seized control of a swath of Iraqi and Syrian land.
