MESOP NEWS : European Union Foreign Chief Mogherini to Visit Kurdistan

Basnews – ERBIL – 21 Dec 2014 – The European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is expected to visit Iraq and Kurdistan Region next week. “Following the strengthening relation between EU and Kurdistan Region, EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini with high delegates will officially visit Kurdistan Region in the coming days to meet with Kurdistan Region senior officials,” said Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representative to the EU Dlawar Azhgayi to BasNews.

Mogherini’s visit followed after the visit of some EU officials to Kurdistan Region and it is an indication that EU pays a special attention to the region due to its role in the area, especially the successes of Kurdish Peshmerga forces in fighting against Islamic State (IS) insurgents. In recent months, KRG officials visited European Parliament and meeting with number of officials in aim to get the support of European countries to Kurdistan Region and Peshmerga forces in fighting IS militants. Kurdistan Region officials has on numerous times asked the western countries to provide humanitarian and military aid to the region. Its expected that Mogherini will travel to Baghdad on Dec.22 where she will be meeting the Iraqi President Fuad Masoum, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi and Foreign Minister Ibrahim al Jaafari, she will also meet with the Speaker of the Council of Representative’s (CoR) Ibrahim Al Jabouri. She will also travel to Erbil on 23 December where she will discuss the major challenges facing the Kurdistan region and its people with President of the Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani and Prime-Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani. The EU has provided EUR 20 million in humanitarian aid and is already implementing development projects in Iraq.