President Barzani meets Germany’s Scholz in Berlin

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday, with both leaders discussing bilateral ties, regional and global developments, and Germany’s assistance in the fight against terrorism. 

President Barzani arrived in the German capital on Monday to meet with Scholz and other senior officials, discussing the situation in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as well as bilateral Erbil-Berlin ties, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency. The meeting has been hailed by German officials as “very important.”

Barzani in a tweet said that the meeting focused on “further strengthening the existing relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq with Germany.

“Our visit to Berlin was at the invitation of the German Chancellor. We had a good meeting today. In the meeting, the joint issues between the Kurdistan Region and Germany were discussed and Iraq’s relations with Germany were discussed,” Barzani told reporters following the meeting. 

“We believe that Berlin is very committed to furthering the ties with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” he said. 

The Kurdistan Region’s president also announced that he extended an invitation for Scholz to visit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

President Barzani expressed his satisfaction with the level of Germany’s relations with both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, stating that they will provide all the necessary facilitation and support for German companies to invest in the Region, according to a statement from the Presidency.

“President Nechirvan Barzani stressed that Iraq and the Kurdistan Region hope for further support and participation from Germany in all sectors, especially in helping overcome the challenges facing Iraq in diversifying its economy, maintaining stability, and combating the threats of climate change,” the statement added. 

Scholz described Barzani’s visit as “an important opportunity to exchange opinions,” reiterating Berlin’s continued support for Erbil and Baghdad while also expressing his country’s willingness to help in various fields, including economy and energy.

“We also expressed our gratitude for Germany’s support during difficult times over the years,” Barzani said about the meeting with Scholz. 

Germany is a key international actor as well as an essential member of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS). Berlin has also been involved in the Peshmerga reforms over the past few years, with the German army mostly based in the Region.

The country has also carried out several projects in the Yazidi heartland, Shingal, and IDP camps housing Yazidi people since 2014, in attempts to help the religious minority group, according to a German diplomat in Erbil.

During his visit, Barzani met with Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Svenja Schulze, and Minister of State at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office Tobias Lindner.

In the meeting with Schulze, Barzani thanked Germany for its support for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq while “reiterating the region’s keenness to further expand relations and joint cooperation with Germany.” 

Several German lawmakers have spoken to Rudaw about the importance of the visit for boosting and highlighting the importance of the ties between Erbil and Berlin.

German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffman told reporters on Friday that the meeting between Barzani and Schulze would be aimed at discussing bilateral ties, as well as the latest regional developments.