ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani attended the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Friday, meeting European defense ministers to discuss combating terrorism and Syria, where the Kurdistan Region plays a role in efforts to strengthen unity among Kurdish parties.
Barzani first met with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
“President Barzani expressed the Kurdistan Region's appreciation for Germany's assistance and support to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and stressed the importance and need for the Kurdistan Region to continue this cooperation,” read a statement from his office.
Pistorius reaffirmed his country’s commitment to supporting the Kurdistan Region and stressed the necessity of strengthening cooperation between Germany, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region in combating terrorism, according to the statement.
The German minister visited Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in December and expressed continued support for Iraq’s security forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga in combating the Islamic State (ISIS).
Barzani also met with Italian Defense Minister Guido Corsetto to discuss enhancing cooperation, particularly in the fight against ISIS. They acknowledged Italy’s support in training the Peshmerga forces and enhancing their capabilities.
“President Barzani expressed the Kurdistan Region's appreciation for the support provided by Italy in training the Peshmerga,” Barzani’s office said in a statement.
They also discussed the latest security and political developments in Iraq and the region, especially in Syria. “Other issues of common interest were also discussed at the meeting,” according to the statement.
Italy and Germany are members of the global anti-ISIS coalition, formed in 2014 when the jihadists seized swathes of land in Iraq and Syria.
The Munich Security Conference is an annual event bringing together world decision makers, academics, and civil society leaders to discuss security issues. The first day of the 61st edition will focus on global security challenges. Saturday will be dedicated to discussions on the state of the international order. On the last day of the event, there will be discussions on the role of Europe in the world, according to its agenda.
“This year, the topic is related to the Middle East, with the Kurdistan Region at the center of the Middle East and those problems,” Dlawar Azhgayi, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representative to the European Union, told Rudaw’s Zana Kayani.
The Kurdistan Region “can play a positive role as a factor of stability and security in the area, facilitating dialogue among conflicting sides and bringing them closer, bolstering the diplomatic position of the Kurdistan Region on the international stage,” he added.
After a coalition of Syrian rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad's regime in December and established a transitional government, Kurdish factions in northeast Syria (Rojava) initiated talks to address long-standing grievances between them with the goal of presenting a united Kurdish front in negotiations with the new authorities in Damascus.
The Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC), a group of opposition parties in Rojava, is in talks with the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi to resolve their disputes and have agreed to send a joint delegation to the Syrian capital.
The leadership in the Kurdistan Region played a key role in facilitating that dialogue. In January, an ENKS delegation met with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani to discuss rapprochement among Kurdish parties in Syria. ENKS maintains close ties with the KDP.
Earlier in January, Masoud Barzani held a historic meeting with Abdi in Erbil, where they discussed Kurdish unity in the context of the changing political landscape in Syria.
“Kurdistan Region president’s message to our Kurdish brothers in Rojava [northeast Syria] is to be united and for them to have an active role in the rebuilding of Syria. Some of the news that came out of the new Syrian administration is positive. We are waiting for them to be implemented in the country’s administration,” Dilshad Shahab, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency, told Rudaw’s Alla Shally at the conference.
The leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Bafel Talabani is also expected to attend the Munich conference and hold several meetings with senior government officials and political, military, security, and economic leaders, according to his party’s media.
In December, Talabani expressed “unwavering support” for Rojava as Syrian rebels were leading an offensive against regime-controlled areas.
