“We used this meeting to continue the cooperation started during our visit to Baghdad and Erbil in May,” said First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić after talks with Iraqi Kurdistan’s Foreign Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir. Croatian companies have shown interest in cooperating with Iraqi Kurdistan, Pusić said, recalling that Croatia was part of the antiterrorist coalition and that a decision had been made to deploy Croatian forces to assist the peshmerga. Last year, USD 50,000 worth of humanitarian aid was sent to Kurdistan through UNHCR and the same amount is to be sent next week, after the government approves it.
“Apart from cooperation in humanitarian aid and defence, we hope to lay the foundation for economic and institutional cooperation too, as well as cooperation in education and culture,” Pusić said.
Thanking for the military and humanitarian assistance, Bakir underscored the prospects for cooperation in a number of other areas too. He said Kurdistan faced ISIL on its borders and, owing to refugee experience in the region, was opening its doors to people suffering the same fate. “We want to continue fighting ISIL, but for that we need help from the international community,” Bakir said.
Statement by FM Pusić:
Statement by FM Bakir:
Q&A: