Interior, Security and Local Councils Committee in London meet UK parliamentarians and Deputy Mayor of Lambeth

Parliament’s Interior, Security and Local Councils Committee on 21 and 22 February 2023 continued their programme in London by meeting British parliamentarians and the Kurdish-born Deputy Mayor of Lambeth.

The delegation went to the UK Parliament to meet with MPs Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Bambos Charalambous and Virendra Sharma and Member of the House of Lords Baroness Christine Blower.

The Kurdistani and British parliamentarians gave overviews of their respective parliaments’ histories, make-up and legislative procedures. They also discussed the outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi Federal Government, violations of Iraq’s sovereignty by neighbouring countries, and the threat from ISIS and other terrorist groups in Iraq.

The delegation asked that the UK Parliament call on the British Government to continue supporting the progress of the Kurdistan Region.

The British MPs and Baroness Blower said that they hope to visit the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistan Parliament soon.

The Kurdistani MPs also met with the Deputy Mayor of Lambeth, Sarbaz Barznji, who is originally from the Raparin area of Kurdistan Region.

Mr. Barznji spoke in detail about the UK’s local government systems generally and about Lambeth Council in particular, and local council elections.

The delegation and the Lambeth Deputy Mayor agreed on continuing their discussions and sharing of knowledge and experience.