ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson sent a Newroz message to the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region on Saturday, saying the UK wants to coordinate with the KRG to promote a more stable future. He also extended an invitation to visit London.
He commended what he called the bravery of the Peshmerga and the nation of Kurdistan in their fight against ISIS and for hosting a large number of IDPs and refugees.
Johnson said there is an opportunity for building a stable and democratic future for the Kurdistan Region. To reach that end, the UK wants to coordinate directly with the KRG.
At the end of his message, Johnson said he hopes to see Barzani visit Britain later this year.
British Prime Minister Theresa May extended her own invitation to Barzani in late December 2017 at a time of strained ties between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad in the wake of last September’s independence referendum.
May had at the time promised “to fight” to protect the Kurdish identity and their rights in Iraq.
The UK officially opposed Kurdistan’s independence referendum. The British parliament has debated the situation in the Kurdistan Region several times in the wake of the vote and the damaged relations between Erbil and Baghdad.
The UK is a member of the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition and has forces stationed in the Kurdistan Region.
Johnson wished a happy Newroz to Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, his family, the nation and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), according to a statement from the KRG.
He commended what he called the bravery of the Peshmerga and the nation of Kurdistan in their fight against ISIS and for hosting a large number of IDPs and refugees.
Johnson said there is an opportunity for building a stable and democratic future for the Kurdistan Region. To reach that end, the UK wants to coordinate directly with the KRG.
At the end of his message, Johnson said he hopes to see Barzani visit Britain later this year.
British Prime Minister Theresa May extended her own invitation to Barzani in late December 2017 at a time of strained ties between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad in the wake of last September’s independence referendum.
May had at the time promised “to fight” to protect the Kurdish identity and their rights in Iraq.
The UK officially opposed Kurdistan’s independence referendum. The British parliament has debated the situation in the Kurdistan Region several times in the wake of the vote and the damaged relations between Erbil and Baghdad.
The UK is a member of the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition and has forces stationed in the Kurdistan Region.
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