Kurdistan Regional Government
Representation in Italy
Dr. Kader met yesterday with the Chief of Staff of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Elisabetta Belloni, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The discussions focused on the current situation in the Kurdistan Region, the ongoing humanitarian crisis, and the fight against Daesh. Dr. Kader took the opportunity to express her profound disappointment toward the coalition countries over the absence of a Kurdish government delegation or Peshmerga representatives at the ministerial summit, which took place in Rome last week at the Farnesina. The meeting brought together the foreign ministers of 23 European, Western, and regional countries, along with the High Representative for European Foreign Policy, Federica Mogherini, to discuss the strategy to counter ISIS terrorists. The Kurdistan Regional Government, the Kurdish people, and their courageous Peshmerga are the most involved, having been fighting on the front lines daily for the past two years against Daesh, which poses a threat to the entire international community. At the same time, despite the Kurdistan Region being part of Iraq, the Baghdad government refuses to represent Kurdistan or support it militarily or humanitarianly, and continues to withhold the budget provided for by Iraq's constitution for the survival of the Kurdish people. Furthermore, many cities like Shingal have been destroyed. Without concrete support, these cities cannot be rebuilt, and people will not be able to return to their homes, increasing the risk of emigration to Europe.
Ambassador Belloni, understanding the reasons expressed, assured Dr. Kader that he would convey to Minister Gentiloni his disappointment and his desire to involve the Kurdish component in these summits in the future. Furthermore, the Chief of Staff emphasized the importance of the Peshmerga forces and confirmed the Italian government's commitment to military training, the defense of the Mosul Dam, humanitarian assistance, the reconstruction of Kurdish cities, and to normalizing relations with the central government in Baghdad.
The meeting concluded with the High Representative's invitation to organize an official mission to the Kurdistan Region with Minister Gentiloni.