Relations Committee and UK Parliament's All-Party Group discuss recommendations to UK Government and strengthening parliamentary ties
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Kurdistan Parliament's Relations and Diaspora Committee and the UK Parliament's All-Party Group (APPG) on the Kurdistan Region on 5 November met formally for the first time on Zoom, in a new bid to deepen and widen bilateral relations.
The unique meeting started with comments from Dr. Rebwar Babkayi MP, chair of the Kurdistan Parliament's Relations and Kurdish Diaspora Committee, and Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP, chair of the UK Parliament's APPG.
The two MPs were joined by seven other MPs from both sides, the KRG’s High Representative to the UK Karwan Jamal Tahir, the Representation’s Director of Political Affairs Khasro Ajgayi, parliamentary aides, and APPG Secretary, Gary Kent.
They discussed the recent reports of the APPG’s virtual delegation to Kurdistan. Dr. Babkayi agreed to raise the APPG recommendations with the relevant authorities in Kurdistan, while the APPG is seeking to do the same in the UK.
The meeting agreed that the Kurdistan Region currently faces many serious economic, health, and security challenges, for which British engagement and expertise is particularly needed.
The APPG and the Committee also discussed how to improve relations between their respective parliaments. The APPG will put the Kurdistan Parliament Relations Committee in touch with the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Committee and the APPG will meet more regularly to advance friendship and encourage greater political engagement by the UK Government with the Kurdistan Region.
Background: British MPs and Lords of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kurdistan Region held Zoom meetings in July 2020 with Parliament Speaker Dr. Rewaz Faiq, Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami, KRG officials and think tank experts in Kurdistan Region. After their meetings, the UK Parliamentarians issued the following joint statement, and a longer report was also produced:
Zooming into Kurdistan - The Kurdistani quest for certainty and partnership with Iraq and how Britain can lend a hand, Report by Rt Hon Robert Halfon, Chair of the APPG; and Gary Kent, Secretary of the APPG on Kurdistan Region in Iraq.
The main recommendations by the APPG virtual delegation:
- Continued British efforts to unify and professionalise the Peshmerga are vital.
- A changing Middle East needs a strong Kurdistan in partnership with a strong Iraq.
- Kurdistan allies itself to the UK, whose services, standards, goods, and experience are respected. The UK Foreign Secretary should visit Kurdistan and invite the KRG leadership to London on a long promised official visit.
- Such meetings can deepen the bilateral relationship and unleash relatively inexpensive and focused government measures to increase the KRG’s reform capacity.
- Most urgently, Kurdistan needs supplies from its allies of medical kit such as ventilators to relieve its strained health sector and save lives from Covid.
- The UK should send experts on a fact-finding mission to assess how the UK can encourage quality higher education.
- The Kurdistan Parliament’s influence can be enhanced by exchanges and skills-training.
- A second official UK trade mission to Kurdistan could scope opportunities for private investors and public institutions.
- The UK can facilitate projects through UK Export Finance, encouraging direct commercial flights, improving the visa system for Kurdistani visitors to the UK, many for commercial purposes, and liberalising the official travel advice in line with better security in Kurdistan.