On August 4, President Masoud Barzani met with outgoing Consul General of the Netherlands in the Kurdistan Region Jaco Beerends at Barzani’s headquarters in the Saladin resort.
According to a readout from Barzani’s headquarters, during the meeting, President Barzani expressed his gratitude to the Dutch Consul General for his efforts, wishing him success in his new responsibilities.
He also emphasized the desire to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the people of Kurdistan and the Netherlands.
The political situation in Iraq and the region, terrorism threats, Kurdistan Region Parliament elections, and the peshmerga reform process were other topics discussed during the meeting.
In a meeting, President @masoud_barzani thanked the outgoing @nlinkri Consul General Jaco Beerends for his contributions and hard work during his tenure in Kurdistan. They also exchanged views on the KRI elections, current political and security situation in Iraq and beyond. pic.twitter.com/5Jx8MMhQtb
— Safeen Dizayee (@SafeenDizayee) August 4, 2024
In a post on X, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations Head Safeen Dizayee wrote that President Barzani thanked the outgoing Dutch Consul General Beerends “for his contributions and hard work during his tenure in Kurdistan.”
“They also exchanged views on the Kurdistan Region elections, current political and security situation in Iraq and beyond.”
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani set the date for the Kurdistan Region general election as October 20, 2024, after the vote was delayed several times since 2022 due to intra-Kurdish party disputes.
Thank you for the exchange today Kak @SafeenDizayee and President @masoud_barzani
— Netherlands in Kurdistan Region (@nlinkri) August 4, 2024
It has been a pleasure working on the many issue that connect the Kurdistan Region in Iraq and the Kingdom of the Netherlands over the last two years. https://t.co/aB8sr34i7t
The official X account of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Erbil thanked Dizayee and President Masoud Barzani for the meeting and exchange in a post on August 4.
“It has been a pleasure working on the many issues that connect the Kurdistan Region in Iraq and the Kingdom of the Netherlands over the last two years,” the Dutch Consulate General wrote.
The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Erbil focuses on policy advice, project support, and private sector development.
The Netherlands is also part of the Multi-National Advisory Group, which also includes the United States, Italy, the UK, and Germany, established to bolster the peshmerga reform project.
Read More: Erbil Safe to Visit for Dutch Entrepreneurs: Consul General
“We try to work with the KRG to help improve their agricultural policies,” Beerends told Kurdistan Chronicle in March.
“We also provide support for agriculture projects, which includes demonstration farms where we try to showcase the techniques and the expertise that we have in the Netherlands,” he added.
The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Erbil hosted a celebration of the Dutch King’s Day in Erbil on April 28.
Read More: Dutch-Kurdish Friendship Celebrated on King’s Day
During his opening speech at the event, Dutch Consul General Beerends underlined that after almost two years in this position, “I feel that I am Dutch and also a little Kurdish by now. I feel privileged to have met so many people and worked on so many important aspects of our relationship.”
Part of Kurdistan is in my heart, a part I will take with me when I end my assignment this summer. I know this will be the same for some of my colleagues that will also end their term in a few months’ time,” he added.
