The President of the Kurdistan Region receives the Ambassador of the European Union

ARK News… The President of the Kurdistan Region, Mr. Nechirvan Barzani, on Wednesday evening, 7 September 2022, received the Ambassador of the European Union to Iraq, Mr. Phil Variola.

During a meeting, Mr. Variola introduced to President Nechirvan Barzani, Mr. Anders Wijberg, the new head of the European Union advisory mission in Iraq, and highlighted the program, work, and activities of the European Union team in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and expressed the European Union's intention to strengthen its presence and expand its activities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. He also highly valued the positions and endeavors of His Excellency the President of the Kurdistan Region, his visions, and initiatives to solve Iraq's problems through dialogue and understanding.

For his part, in addition to extending congratulations to the new head of the European Union’s advisory mission in Iraq on the occasion of assuming the duties of his new position, His Excellency President Nechirvan Barzani expressed his wishes for success and thanks and appreciation for the helpful role and activities of the European Union and its institutions in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, stressing the importance of the Union’s assistance and support. The European Union for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in developing the fields of democracy, human rights, freedoms, and freedom of expression and all areas that would benefit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

In addition to providing an overview of the situation and the political process in Iraq, His Excellency President Nechirvan Barzani stressed that Iraq's problems will not be resolved in the absence of dialogue, understanding, and a sense of national responsibility. Therefore, all Iraqi forces, parties, and components at this stage should consider political stability as their main duty and first priority. Then, it works towards achieving this goal.

Erbil-Baghdad relations and their problems, the internal situation of the Kurdistan Region, the elections, and the expansion of the European Union office in the Kurdistan Region, constituted another focus of the meeting.

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