Presidency of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

President Nechirvan Barzani meets with US Assistant Secretary of Defense

2024-02-18T11:04:49.000000Z
International relations News
Munich, Germany, February 18, 2024

President Nechirvan Barzani met with Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander at the Munich Security Conference in Germany this morning to address security threats in Iraq and the volatile situation in the Middle East.

Both parties agreed on the significance for the wider region of peace, security and political stability in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. They also highlighted the potential risk of the escalation of the Gaza war engulfing the region, underscoring the importance of Iraq avoiding embroilment in external issues and prioritizing the fight against terrorism and the ISIS threat.

Furthermore, the discussion touched upon the negative repercussions of targeting and attacking coalition forces in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. It was mutually agreed upon that actions jeopardizing the security, stability, and sovereignty of the country must be prevented.

The President and the Assistant Secretary of Defense also deliberated on the security cooperation between the US and Iraq within the framework of the Strategic Agreement between their nations.