ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region's president and prime minister will both be in attendance at the annual Munich Security Council (MSC) conference in Germany, which begins on Friday, it was confirmed in statements released on Thursday.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is expected to arrive in Germany late Thursday to attend the MSC where he will meet with world leaders, according to a statement by his office.
President Barzani will also “hold meetings with a number of leaders and high level officials” on the sidelines of the 58th annual conference which will be last for three days, Barzani’s office said in the statement.
The Region's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani confirmed later in the day that he will be attending the conference too.
“I’m delighted to return to Munich for the 58th @MunSecConf. We meet at a moment of great uncertainty for global security and the global economy. And I look forward to adding our voice to #MSC2022 debate,” he said in a tweet.
According to the prime minister's Deputy Chief of Staff Aziz Ahmad, the officials will lead separate delegations, but "both leaders will have several joint meetings in the margins," he said in a tweet.
Top officials from the Kurdistan Region have attended the previous editions of the conference in recent years.“The MSC 2022 will remain true to its traditional formats but will welcome fewer guests and media representatives as well as smaller delegations to ensure the health and safety of its participants and the Munich public,” the conference website states, where many events will be available to watch live.
The conference comes as tensions between Russia and the West escalate on Ukraine’s border. It coincides with an increase in the Islamic State (ISIS) attacks in Iraq and Syria. The group attacked the Kurdish-held al-Sina’a prison, which included thousands of ISIS prisoners, on January 20 but the jail was retaken after more than a week of clashes.
The attack has alarmed both the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) and Iraqi government whose disputed borders have been exploited by ISIS.
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