Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - At a three-day annual Munich Security Conference, held in Germany, between 12 to 14 February, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani held a series meetings with a number of heads of state and senior officials from different countries to discuss the Kurdistan Region's challenges in the fight against the Islamic State terrorist organization, ISIS, the financial crisis and the latest developments in Kurdistan Region, Iraq and Syria.

Throughout the conference and sideline meetings, President Barzani described the political, military and economic challenges in Kurdistan Region, stressing on how Kurdistan is at the forefront of the war against terrorism and is in need of international support.

President Barzani also said that the time has come for the Kurdish people to decide their own future and they have the right to live as any other free and independent nation.

President Barzani also laid out the facts regarding the relations between Baghdad and Erbil, emphasizing that Kurdistan is always ready for dialogue and has always been part of the solution to problems, and has never taken sides in Iraq's internal and regional tensions.

The anticipated operation to free Mosul and the participation of Peshmergas forces also discussed in the meetings.

The heads of state and senior officials that President Barzani met praised the role of the Peshmerga Forces in the fight for civilization and humanity. They commended their role and ability to reclaim lands lost to ISIS.

During the first day of the conference, President Barzani met King Abdullah of Jordan, Prime Minister Tammam Salam of Lebanon, Prime Minister Hayder Abadi of Iraq, and the French Ministers of Defence, and Foreign Ministers of United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey and Iran.

During the second day of the conference, he held meetings with the President Gjorge Ivanov of Macedonia, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Germany and U.S. President Barack Obama's Special Envoy Brett McGurk. President Barzani also met Frederica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union, Filippo Grandi the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Bob Corker, Head of the U.S. Congress's Relations Council.

In the final day of the conference, President Barzani met with President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic of Croatia, Germany's Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, and Parliamentarian Froin Hain of Germany's Christian Democratic Party.