Foreign Secretary welcomes Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister to UK

The Foreign Secretary today welcomed Kurdistan Regional

Government Prime Minister Barzani to London, on his first

official visit to the UK.

Foreign Secretary William Hague and Prime Minister Nechirvan Idris Barzani

discussed relations between the UK and the Kurdistan Region, Iraq’s recent

elections, and human rights issues.

Speaking after the meeting the Foreign Secretary said:

“I was very pleased to welcome Kurdistan Regional Government Prime

Minister Barzani to London today. The Prime Minister’s visit is a chance to

celebrate the warm relations between the UK and the Kurdistan Region of

Iraq, with links in areas as diverse as trade, education and culture, and to

reaffirm the UK’s desire to remain the Region’s partner of choice on all of

these issues.

I congratulated the Prime Minister on the progress that has been made in

the Kurdistan Region over recent years, and the relative stability and security

that has been achieved despite the violence in other parts of Iraq, and in

neighbouring Syria.

We also discussed the recent elections in Iraq, and the next steps towards the

formation of a new federal Government. I encouraged the Prime Minister, and

other Kurdish parties, to remain fully engaged in this process.”