On January 21, 2020 Italian Defense Minister, Lorenzo Guerini, and an accompanying delegation arrived in Kurdistan Region and welcomed by Shorsh Ismail, Kurdistan Regional Defense Minister.

In the meeting, in which Commander in Chief of both sides, Italian ambassador to Iraq, and Italian Consul General to Erbil and some military commanders attended, discussions about the current situation of Iraq and region and the threats of ISIS were held.

At the beginning, Italian Defense Minister cited the historic relation between Italy and Kurdistan Region: “We are glad for having a strong tie with Kurdistan Region and Peshmarga forces, and we appreciate the sacrifices of Peshmarga in the fight against ISIS”

He added “We observe the current situation of Iraq closely, we are miserable about the unstable situation of Iraq and we don’t want the terrorists to take advantage of it.”

Guerini went further to point out “To confront terrorism, we have much work to do together, so we re-express the continuation of our contribution and commitment to cooperation and support with Iraq and Kurdistan Region.”

In turn Kurdistan Regional Defense Minister said “Your visit at this moment shows the fact that you will remain as friend and continued supporter in facing terrorism and preserving security and stability of the region.”

“The aid and cooperation of Italian military consultants and commanders in Kurdistan Region is highly appreciated.” Ismail highlighted.

He also hoped for further improvement of co-working and relation between Kurdistan Region and Italy.

Translated by: Dr. Yadasht Salih