Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today welcomed Croatia’s Defense Minister, Mr. Ante Kotromanović. In a meeting in Salahaddin, the President and the Croatian Defense Minister discussed bilateral ties, the fight against the ISIS terrorists, and military requirements for the peshmerga forces.

Mr. Kotromanović expressed his admiration for the bravery of the peshmerga forces in the fight against the ISIS terrorists, and praised the struggle of the Kurdish people for their rights and freedom, resembling it to the struggle of the people of Croatia. He said he is visiting Kurdistan to find out how Croatia can help the KRG in its fight against ISIS, and offered his country’s readiness to help the peshmerga forces with training and military aid.

President Barzani thanked Croatia for its support for Kurdistan and stated that the KRG is interested and ready to develop close ties with Croatia. The two also discussed the recent agreement signed between Erbil and Baghdad on oil exports and revenue sharing, hailing it as a positive development.