The Home Secretary, , this afternoon hosted Masrour
Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, for
talks at the Home Office.
The meeting took place on the second day of Prime Minister
Barzani’s visit to the UK, during which he met Prime Minister
and other senior members of
the government to discuss a variety of issues.
The Home Secretary began by welcoming the opportunity to finally
meet Prime Minister Barzani in person. Both sides discussed the
importance of working together on security and agreed that
officials should meet to further strengthen joint efforts to
address migration challenges over the coming months.
The Home Secretary thanked Prime Minister Barzani and his
officials for the productive cooperation between the Kurdistan
Region of Iraq and the UK thus far.
The Home Secretary highlighted the necessity of this cooperation
to prevent further loss of life and reiterated her heartfelt
condolences to those Kurdish families who lost loved ones in the
tragedy in the English Channel last November.
The Home Secretary was also able to brief Prime Minster Barzani
on the government’s recently signed Migration and Economic
Development Partnership with Rwanda and how it will help break
the business model of the people smugglers behind the small boat
crossings in the Channel.
Home Secretary said:
I was pleased to host Prime Minister Barzani at the Home Office
today.
The global nature of the migration crisis dictates that we must
work with international allies both to tackle the drivers of
irregular migration and to disrupt and bring to justice the evil
people smuggling gangs. There is also much for us to do together
in the security sphere to keep our peoples safe.
I look forward to further cooperation with Prime Minister Barzani
and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in the months and years ahead.
Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq,
added:
The relationship between the Kurdistan Region and the UK makes
the world a safer place for us and our partners. We combat
terrorism and organised crime, and disrupt the political
weaponisation of vulnerable families.
I also welcome our recent cooperation in disrupting international
people smuggling networks. In that spirit, we agree on the
importance of upholding international law.
In today’s meeting, I also encouraged Home Secretary Patel to
help us tackle the root causes of migration by exploring business
initiatives and creating more job opportunities at home.
