British officials confirm a desire to strengthen ties with Baghdad and Erbil

BAGHDAD – “Al-Quds al-Arabi”: the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom confirmed Rishi SunakMasrour Barzani, Prime Minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, said his country maintains close ties with the region.

A statement from the regional government said Barzani had received a letter from Sunak confirming that “the United Kingdom maintains close relations with the Kurdistan Region”.

Sunak added, “I am delighted that today our historic ties are stronger than ever because of many common values, many common areas of cooperation and the United Kingdom is committed to the security and stability of Kurdistan. The region is part of a strong and unified Iraq.”

And the British Prime Minister continued: “We attach great importance to security coordination with the Kurdistan Region and we are committed to working with you within the framework of the international coalition to ensure the final defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria.”

Stressing the importance of “strengthening ties between the Kurdistan Region and Britain, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, agriculture and digitalisation,” the British prime minister said, “I look forward to working with you during my term as Prime Minister.”

In the federal capital Baghdad, the head of the “National Government Forces” coalition discussed. Ammar al-HakimThe British Ambassador to Iraq, Mark Bryson, emphasized the importance of developing bilateral relations between Iraq and the United Kingdom in all sectors in order to protect the interests of both countries and the sovereignty of Iraq.

A statement from Al-Hakim’s office said the latter “listened to the British ambassador to confirm his country’s support for the Sudanese government’s guidelines in establishing balanced regional and international relations.”

He also stressed the importance of “the security and political stability of Iraq, a condition and starting point for economic recovery, the entry of investments and the diversification of financial sources”, “experience has proven that the security and stability of the country. The region and its related interests are linked to the security and stability of Iraq.”

“Al-Hakim also emphasized the need to improve the economic system in Iraq by reforming the banking system, supporting the private sector, providing employment opportunities to our people and benefiting from the experiences of countries in this sector and countries around the world. Including Britain.”