Kurdistan's diplomatic relations

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The incoming United States Consul General Paul Stephens was received by Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani Mondayin Salahaddin.

Consul General Paul Stephens formally introduced himself and emphasized his keenness to serve the Kurdistan Region with all his capability as the representative of the United States of America.

The Consul showed his reverence towards the Kurdish people, and acknowledged the suffering and sacrifice the ethnic group has had to bear.

President Massoud Barzani congratulated the Consul General on his new post, and reassured the Kurdistan Regional Government’s support towards the Consulate, to further strengthen bonds between the United States of America and the Kurdistan Region.

The US Consul handed President Massoud Barzani a letter from Obama reaffirming the valuable friendship and mutual understanding between the United States of America and the Kurdistan Region.

Mr Paul Sutphin, the incoming Consul General, is a career Foreign Service officer, with wide ranging experience in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as on key issues in the wider region.

Source: www.krp.org

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ERBIL, July 11 (AKnews)- Kurdistan' President Massoud Barzani has accepted an official invitation from the UAE to visit the country, Kurdistan presidential website published today.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's invitation for Barzani was submitted by UAE General Consul to Kurdistan Abdullah Al-Tuneji when he visited Barzani today in his office in Salahaddin, Erbil.

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New US consul to Kurdistan

ERBIL, July 16 (AKnews) – The US General Consul to Erbil will give visas to the Kurdistan Region's residents before the end of this year to facilitate the process for people who want to travel abroad.

The new General Consul to the Kurdistan Region Paul Sutphin met with the region's Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil and said the US General Consulate will work to provide visa for people before the end of this year.

The consul also said the consulate would create more opportunities for Kurdish students to study abroad.

Both sides discussed the relations between the US and the Kurdistan Region in all sectors, said a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government.

http://rudaw.net/kurdish/index.php/news/15488.html
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/3/317140/

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ERBIL, July 16 (AKnews) – The French government has selected Alan Gepran as the new General Consul to the Kurdistan Region, said the Kurdistan Regional Government's representative in France.

Khaman Zrar said the party was hosted in the region's representative headquarters in France for selecting Gepran as the new consul and to introduce himself to Kurdish migrants in the country.

Zrar added: "France was one of the first countries that opened its consulate in the region and Fredric Tisso was the first French consul there since 2008."

Gepran announced: "The same as last year a French political and economic delegation will visit the region to convince them to work like the other French companies that arrived to work there earlier.

“The cultural relation with the Kurdistan Region will be the work priority of the consulate."

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16/07/2012

ERBIL, July 16 (AKnews) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Northern Ireland vowed on Monday to strengthen relations in all fields as they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MuO).

The MuO was signed by the KRG’s Foreign Relations Official Falah Mustafa and Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland’s Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister in Erbil city, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.

The agreement is expected to see development of relations in particular in the areas of trade, investment, higher education, agriculture, tourism and expertise exchange, the KRG website reported.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcD4xsh9eMk&feature=youtube_gdata_player&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1   

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President Barzani receives National Security Advisor to US Vice President



Kurdistan, (KRP)- President Masoud Barzani received a U.S. delegation today in his office in Salahadin. The U.S. delegation was headed by Mr. Antony Blinken, Vice President Joe Biden's national security adviser whose visit to the Kurdistan Region was a reiteration of the United States' firm commitment to solve the issues democratically and in accordance with the Constitution.

During the meeting Mr. Blinken informed President Barzani of President Obama's desire to resolve the issues through democratic means. Mr. Blinken had just returned from Baghdad where he had met a number of Iraqi officials and had discussions about ongoing political issues, with the hope of aiding in a negotiated resolution.

President Barzani welcomed the delegation and expressed his appreciation for President Obama and Vice President's Biden greetings and wished them well on their campaign for re-election. The President reiterated his support for constitutional means to resolve outstanding issues and indicated that he has never rejected the idea of meeting other Iraqi leaders in hopes of improving the situation.

http://www.krp.org/english/articledispl ... 1&id=26384

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http://www.kurdsat.tv/bername.php?id=25

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ERBIL, July 25 (AKnews) – Hugh Evans started his work yesterday as the new British General Consul to the Kurdistan Region.

The head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) department of foreign relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, met with the new consul in Erbil to congratulate him and discuss the relations between the two countries, said a KRG statement.

Mustafa said they welcome the opportunity to improve coordination with British companies and expressed his hope that this relation would result in the growth of meaningful cooperation between the two sides.

In the meeting they highlighted several important areas, such as investment, commerce, education, tourism and agriculture.

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President Barzani Meets Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East

News -> Barzani to visit Russia to deepen “historic” relations
01/08/2012 01:52
 
 
ERBIL, July 31 (AKnews) – President of Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani will visit Russia in late November this year to deepen bilateral relations with country’s leaders, according to the presidential office.

 The plans for the visit came in response to an invitation from Russia’s President and strongest man Vladimir Putin delivered to Barzani through Mikhail Bogdanov, special envoy of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia who visited Erbil at the head of an official delegation and met with Barzani on Tuesday, the presidential office said in a news release posted a on its website.

Among the Russian official were the country’s Deputy Energy Minister and a number of Russian embassy officials in Baghdad.
Barzani accepted the invitation and said praised “historic relations” between the people of Kurdistan Region and Russia and expressed his interest in strengthening bilateral relations.

 “Moscow looks at this visit by the Kurdistan Region’s President with great interest” Bogdanov said during the meeting with the Kurdish President. “There is a strong desire for deepening the historic relations”
“Russian people have a great sympathy with the Kurdish people, in particular with the President of Kurdistan Region” the website quoted Bogdanov as saying.

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Australian Ambassador to Iraq: We remain committed to the Kurdistan Region



Erbil, Kurdistan Region, (DFR.krg.org) – The Australian Ambassador to Iraq, Ms Lyndall Sachs, met with Minister Falah Mustafa today to discuss a wide range of regional and national issues.

Following Ambassador Sachs last visit in March, she announced that the Australian government has changed their travel advice towards the Kurdistan Region in comparison to the rest of Iraq.

Speaking of their increasing focus in Kurdistan, Ambassador Sachs said: “We want to take advantage of the Australian expertise available in various sectors, and we hope to see Australians of Kurdish origin be more involved in building bridges between the two sides.”

She also discussed the KRG’s Human Capacity Development Programme (HCDP) and the growing interest in Australian universities from Kurdish students. She said, “We remain committed to our relationship with the Kurdistan Region and to strengthening our ties with its people.”

The two sides discussed at length the current political stalemate in Baghdad and ongoing crises in Syria. Minister Mustafa said, “We worked with our partners in the international community to remove the previous regime, and we want to ensure that Iraq does not return to a dictatorship.”

“Our leadership has sent very clear messages to the Federal Government in Baghdad, and will always remain open to dialogue,” he added.

Minister Mustafa also touched on the latest developments in Syria, particularly those pertaining to the various Kurdish political factions in Syria and the need for the Kurdish identity to be recognised and their rights to be ensured regardless of the outcome of the current situation.

The Australian government is supporting a number of projects in Kurdistan, including providing assistance to victims of mines, working with farmers to prepare for drought and working with non-governmental organizations to help with displaced persons.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wzs5nBexM4&feature=plcp&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1   

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The European Union's envoy, Carret O'Brien praised the security stability  in Kurdistan Region , which will contribute in achieving further prosperity and  progress here.
This came during a meeting Yesterday, August 8, in Erbil between  the EU envoy and the Head of the Foreign Affairs Office in Kurdistan Regional Government Falah Mustafa, where  they discussed the current situation in Kurdistan Region and the political crisis on the Iraqi arena and the region.

Falah Mustafa, stressed the need to consolidate bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and the European Union in various areas through opening an EU Representation in Erbil.

PUKmedia  

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Kurdistan Regional Government has appointed a representative in Poland, as part of its intensive efforts to strengthen diplomatic relations with the international community on the basis of common interests.

In a statement to the website of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Head of the KRG Foreign Affairs Department Falah Mustafa said that in the framework of its policy to build a friendship relations on the base of common interests, the Kurdistan Regional Government appointed Ziad Rauf as its representative in Poland.

pukmedia

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Governor of Sulaimani, Bahroz Muhammad Salih, received Thursday, Iacob Prada, the Romanian Ambassador to Iraq to discuss strengthening bilateral ties between Romania and the Kurdistan Region.

On the occasion, the Romanian Ambassador to Iraq expressed Romania’s eagerness to intensify economic cooperation – particularly the agricultural field – and educational ties with the Kurdistan Region.

“A delegation led by the Governor of Sulaimani will be invited and received by Romania in the coming months to sign terms cementing economic ties between Romania and the Kurdistan Region,” Mr. Prada stated.

“It is our will to assist the Kurdistan Region in the agricultural field, to the extent of importing Kurdistan’s agricultural production”

“Romania has pledged to receive Iraqi students willing to complete their education in Romania, and it is our wish to establish this bond with the Kurdistan Regional Government as well”

In his turn, the Governor of Sulaimani through the Romanian Ambassador called on the companies in Romania to invest in the Kurdistan Region.

Both sides reviewed the themes on the bilateral agenda and agreed to continue the political consultations between the foreign ministries and to expand the cooperation in the economic and investment areas.

PUKmedia