Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received Ms. Marie Paret, the incoming Head of EU Delegation – Erbil Liaison Office, on Thursday.

President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated Ms. Paret on assuming the office and wished her success in her new duties as EU Representative in Erbil. The President underlined the willingness of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to further strengthen ties with the European Union and valued the recent visit of Mr. Josep Borrell, the Vice President of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, to Iraq and the the Kurdistan Region.

For her part, Ms. Paret presented a brief overview of the works and activities of the European Union in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Ms. Paret thanked the President for the warm welcome that Mr. Joseph Borrell received in the Kurdistan Region and stated that Mr. Borrell looked forward to meeting with President Nechirvan Barzani in Brussels.

Discussions also focused on the upcoming elections, the future of the political process in Iraq, EU’s election observers, Erbil-Baghdad relations and the importance of resolving the issues on the basis of the constitution, climate change and its implications in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and how to take meaninhgul action against the climate crisis with the EU support.