On Friday ,18 February, a joint meeting was held between the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, and the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, with the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Summit.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) website reported that the recent developments in Iraq were discussed during the meeting, and PM Barzani praised the UN role in helping to hold elections in Iraq and expressed hope that the assistance would help Iraq to solve its problems.

Recent developments in the fight against terrorism and ISIS were other topics discussed in the meeting, with participants emphasizing that the ISIS remains a serious threat to security and stability in Iraq and Syria, and that coordination between Erbil and Baghdad and the role of the United Nations in countering this threat were essential.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) elections and the recent ruling of the Iraqi Federal Court and the legalization of the KRG oil activities and the possibility of the UN Secretary General's visit to Iraq after the formation of the new Iraqi government were the main topics discussed in the briefing.

The KRG PM also noted he spoke with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, where they spoke on security and political issues in Iraq. Barzani said he shared with Akar his concern over using "Iraqi institutions to undermine the Kurdistan Region’s prosperity and security.”

The three-day Munich Security Conference began on Friday. The event focuses on countering the Ukraine crisis, the global pandemic and climate change.

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