Davos, Switzerland (KRP.org)-On the second day of his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Barzani held separate meetings on Thursday with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the Lebanese Prime Minster Miqati, a US congressional delegation headed by majority leader’s Eric Cantor, Switzerland’s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Yves Rosseir and President of the International Red Cross Peter Mauer.

The Dutch Prime Minister praised the Kurdistan Region for its rapid economic growth and stability, and said his government will work to encourage major Dutch companies to invest in Kurdistan. In this meeting, the President and the Dutch PM also talked about the political developments in Iraq and the crisis in Syria.

The meeting between the Lebanese PM and President centered on strengthening ties between Kurdistan and Lebanon, especially as a large number of Lebanese citizens work in Kurdistan. Prime Minister Miqati said his government intends to open a consulate in Erbil in the near future. The two also discussed the crisis in Syria, the increasing number of Syrian refugees in both Lebanon and Kurdistan, and the impact of the Syrian crisis on Iraq and Lebanon.

In his meeting with the US Congressional delegation, President Barzani talked about the current challenges facing the political process in Iraq, tensions between Erbil and Baghdad, and developments in the region in general. Congressman and Majority leader Eric Cantor congratulated President Barzani for the achievements that have been made in Kurdistan.

President Barzani’s also met with the President of the International Red Cross Peter Mauer, who expressed his organization’s gratitude to the KRG for its close cooperation; he said staff from the Red Cross’s regional office in Erbil visit KRG prisons without any hindrance. Also discussed in this meeting was the situation of Syrian refugees. In this meeting, President Barzani thanked the Red Cross for its positive assessment of the KRG. On Syrian refugee crisis, he said that the Red Cross can play a role in delivering humanitarian aid to people inside Syria.

On the second day of his visit to Davos, the President and several Middle Eastern leaders participated in a roundtable meeting on the geopolitical impact of the Arab Spring in the region.

The President’s last meeting in Davos was with King Abdullah of Jordan, which focused on strengthening economic ties and developments in Iraq and in the region.

Several senior KRG officials accompanied President Barzani in this visit, which included KRG Deputy Prime Minister Imad Ahmad, President’s Chief of Staff Fuad Hussein, KRG Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami, KRG Minister of Planning Ali Sindi and KRG Head of Foreign Relations Falah Mustafa. This was the Kurdistan Region’s first participation in this international gathering.