President Nechirvan Barzani welcomed President Alar Karis of Estonia and his delegation in his office in Erbil this evening.

During the meeting, which was attended by both Vice Presidents and the Minister of Peshmerga, the two leaders expressed their shared interest in strengthening bilateral relations between Estonia, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region. They particularly emphasized the importance of enhancing trade and cooperation in various sectors, with a focus on areas such as IT, e-government, and institution building, where Estonia’s expertise can greatly benefit the Kurdistan Region.

President Nechirvan Barzani extended his gratitude for Estonia’s support and contribution to the international coalition against ISIS, as well as their military advisory team’s assistance to the Peshmerga forces. He conveyed his hope for support to the Peshmerga in other areas of military affairs, as well.

President Karis, for his part, expressed his pleasure in visiting Iraq and the Kurdistan Region for the first time. He also visited his country’s military team stationed in the Kurdistan Region and affirmed Estonia’s readiness to enhance relations and cooperation with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region across all domains.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the political and security situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, including the recent attack on Erbil, the conflict in Gaza, the tense situation in the Middle East, and the ongoing war in Ukraine and its consequences.

Following their discussions, the two presidents held a joint press conference to share the outcomes of their meeting and exchange further insights.

Readout of President Nechirvan Barzani’s statement:

I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to President Karis in Erbil today. I warmly welcome him to the Kurdistan Region. It is a pleasure to host President Karis in Erbil during his first visit to Iraq, following the visit of the Minister of Defense to Erbil last summer.

We had a productive meeting during which we discussed enhancing Estonia’s relationship with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, emphasizing the potential for collaborative efforts. Our discussions underscored the paramount significance of upholding peace and stability in the region. Additionally, we exchanged views on a range of matters, including the recent attacks on Erbil, regional developments, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

We conveyed our appreciation to the people and government of Estonia for their support to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region within the framework of the Global Coalition against ISIS. We are also grateful for their current deployment in the Kurdistan Region, providing advice and assistance to the Peshmerga forces.

In addition to being allies in the collective effort against terrorism and extremism, we in the Kurdistan Region aspire to draw upon Estonia’s expertise and successful experiences across various domains, such as Information Technology (IT) and e-governance, for which Estonia is a pioneer. We have sent delegations to Estonia in the past to explore these areas. We are also willing to benefit from Estonia’s experience in the fields of transparency and institution building, in addition to any other areas where we can gain valuable insights from Estonia’s experience.

I express my sincere gratitude for the visit of President Karis. Your visit is a great message of support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and it holds great significance for us. I hope that our future collaboration can be enhanced across all levels and fields of cooperation.

Readout of President Alar Karis’ statement:

Thank you for the very warm welcome and hospitality, Mr. President. And thank you for the frank and insightful discussions.

It is an honor to be the first Estonian president to have an official visit to Iraq´s Kurdistan region.

I am happy to have a chance to personally witness, the enormous positive changes the Kurdish people have made in political, economic, and security field. Some dynamics are very positive, like promoting pluralism in political life.
Bilaterally, I am happy to note we have a good cooperation in the field of digitalization. I hope we can also expand this to other fields in the future.

Also, we are cooperating on security issues. Estonia has throughout the years actively engaged in diverse international formats to contribute to the security and stability of Iraq and the Middle East. Our soldiers are here in Erbil and they praise the hospitality and kindness of local people. Thank you Mr. President for hosting them. We are here to support and help you. So that Kurdistan Region can grow even more prosperous and peaceful than it already is.

There´s another important reason why we are here. It is because we wish to see a world in peace and because for us, democracy and freedom are priceless, these are the ideals we seek to achieve and keep. Estonia strongly condemns all possible forms of terrorism, as it is a significant threat to the international security and peace. We stand together with all our allies in our fight against terrorism. I also strongly condemn the frequent attacks against the coalition forces in Iraq and my sincere condolences to the local people who have lost their loved ones in yesterday’s attack here in Erbil.

Today we discussed the challenges of dealing with complex security situations both in Europe and in the Middle East.

The situation in Gaza is a great concern for us, we support all efforts towards a peaceful resolution to this conflict.

We also talked about the Russian aggression to Ukraine. Estonia is convinced that if we let the aggressor get its way, then this will encourage all other aggressive states to pursue their imperialistic goals. We cannot let this happen, we cannot let any state to undermining the very foundations of international order. Therefore, all democratic and freedom loving countries, have to work together to preserve a world where everyone can prosper and live in peace.

Once again Mr. President, thank you very much for the frank discussions and the warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation. I wish you peace and prosperity.