President Nechirvan Barzani concluded his visit to Germany on February 18, following three days of participation in the Munich Security Conference and engaging in a busy schedule of meetings with foreign leaders, senior officials, and delegations.
President Nechirvan Barzani met with foreign leaders and senior officials of several countries to discuss the security and political situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, the tensions in the Middle East, and the threats and challenges to security and stability in the region and the world. The President also shared the Kurdistan Region’s perspectives regarding strengthening relations and joint cooperation in the areas of energy and energy security, as well as on the impact of climate change.
The three-day agenda of President Nechirvan Barzani included meetings with the United Nations Secretary-General, the President of Azerbaijan, His Majesty the King of Jordan, the prime ministers of Greece, Qatar, Armenia, and Estonia, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Austria, Türkiye, Kuwait, the Vatican and Bahrain, and the defense ministers of Britain and Germany.
The President also met with a number of other delegations and senior officials, including US Congress delegations from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the US President’s Senior Advisor for Energy and Investment Affairs, Germany’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Secretary of State for Defense, the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, the Head of the Independent Strategic Review of UNAMI on behalf of the UNSG’s Special Representative for Iraq, German parliamentary groups from the SPD and separately the CDU-CSU alliance, and the French President’s advisers on diplomatic affairs.
At the meeting with Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg the discussions revolved around the bilateral relations between Austria and Iraq, as well as the Kurdistan Region.
Their meeting addressed the concerning situation in the Middle East, particularly the developments of the war in Gaza and its potential threat to global security and stability. Both parties emphasized the importance of preventing further escalation and expressed their commitment to comprehensive cooperation in achieving this goal.
Furthermore, both expressed a shared desire to enhance Austria’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region across various sectors. The Austrian Foreign Minister highlighted the significance of these ties and extended an official invitation to President Nechirvan Barzani to visit Austria.
President Nechirvan Barzani expressed his gratitude to Austria for their longstanding friendship, support, and assistance to the Kurdistan Region. He expressed optimism about expanding their relations in all areas.