Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani met with a U.S. military delegation led by Lieutenant General Paul Funk and his successor, General Paul Joseph LaCamera, the new commander of the coalition forces in Iraq and Syria.

Lieuteneant General Funk thanked the Kurdistan Regional Government for its cooperation and assistance during his tenure. He discussed assisting the KRG Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs through training the Kurdistan Region military forces, the Peshmerga, and helping to reorganize the Ministry.

General Funk presented his successor Leutenant General Paul Joseph LaCamera as the commander of the coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, expressing his hope that Lieutenant General LaCamera will receive the same assistance and cooperation that he had received during his duties.

Prime Minister Barzani praised the role of Lieutenant General Funk and assured him that the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs will continue to cooperate in order to eradicate the threat of terrorism in the region. He thanked Lieutenant General Funk for his efforts to help the Ministry of Peshmerga and wished both of them success in their new positions. He also expressed his government’s willingness to provide all the necessary assistance to Lieutenant General LaCamera.

The security and political situation in the region, the ongoing talks on the formation of a new Iraqi government and the upcoming Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections were also discussed in the meeting.