The Head of KDP Foreign Relations Hoshyar Siwaily met with the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Political and Electoral Affairs for Iraq

The Head of Foreign Relations Office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Hoshyar Siwaily met with the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Political and Electoral Affairs for Iraq, Mr. Gyorgy Busztin.

Mr. Siwaily and Mr. Busztin discussed Erbil’s relations with Baghdad, the ongoing military operations in Mosul against ISIL, the IDPs and the current economic recession facing Kurdistan Region. Mr Siwialy brought to the attention of the Deputy Special Representative the lack of progress on resolving the outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil and pointed out that apart from the successful military cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil in Mosul, the Federal Government has not taken any constructive approach to resolving these issues. The Kurdistan political parties and the Kurdistan Regional Government will soon dispatch a delegation to Baghdad to engage the Iraqi government in serious dialogue over these issues and the future framework of relations between Baghdad and Erbil.

Mr. Busztin reflected on the current military developments where Peshmerga forces are taking a vital and active part in an offensive in Mosul to liberate Iraq's second city from ISIS, which has occupied the area for nearly three years. He praised the role of   the Peshmerga forces and the sacrifices they have made to defeat ISIS. He also thanked KRG and the People of Kurdistan for aiding the internally displaced people and hosting large numbers of refugees

Mr. Siwaily informed Mr. Busztin that before the operation to liberate Mosul, President Barzani emphasized on the need for a political and security agreement between all the concerned parties for post-ISIS settlement in Mosul, but this issue was not given the due and necessary attention. Both sides realized that ISIS in Iraq will soon be defeated but fighting the ideology of ISIS is a more challenging task. .