UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Thursday met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, in which they discussed cooperation to combatorganized crime and address immigration challenges.
Watch UK Home Secretary @YvetteCooperMP’s message from the Erbil citadel! ? pic.twitter.com/k2oWrUSvce
— UK in Erbil (@ukinerbil) November 28, 2024
According to the official KRG readout, Prime Minister Barzani expressed gratitude on behalf of the Kurdistan Region for the UK’s support and cooperation and reaffirmed the KRG’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations across all sectors, based on shared interests.
Both parties agreed on the importance of continued collaboration and coordination to tackle irregular migration, organized crime, and the trafficking of illicit substances.
The UK is a valued partner. In my meeting today with Secretary @YvetteCooperMP, we reinforced our shared responsibility to fight organized crime and address immigration challenges. pic.twitter.com/BfnVTkIqRL
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) November 28, 2024
“The UK is a valued partner. In my meeting today with Secretary Yvette Cooper, we reinforced our shared responsibility to fight organized crime and address immigration challenges,” Prime Minister Barzani posted on X.
The UK government said in a press release that, during her three-day visit, Secretary Cooper signed a series of cooperation deals to tackle shared threats, boost border security, and save lives.
The UK and the KRG agreed to strengthen their joint work on shared priorities like organized crime and border security, the UK government stated. They agreed to launch communications campaigns in both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to counter the misinformation and myths that people smugglers post online.
“The planned campaign will seek to counter disinformation spread by criminal gangs and stop people making the dangerous journey, including telling the real stories of people who have fallen victim to people-smuggling gangs,” the UK government said.
The UK has recently intensified its crackdown on Kurdish smugglers, sentencing Amanj Hasan Zada, a 34-year-old Kurdish trafficker, to 17 years in prison for human trafficking offenses earlier this month.
The UK also agreed to provide funding to a Kurdistan Region border security project.
Read More: Kurdish President Receives UK Home Secretary
“I want to thank my hosts for their hospitality. This is an important new partnership between the UK government, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region to build security and keep people safe,” Secretary Cooper said.
“The visit reflects the UK’s dedication to fostering long-term stability and development in the Kurdistan Region, building on decades of close cooperation and shared goals.”
Secretary Cooper is the first UK Secretary of State to visit the country since 2021.
Read More: Kurdish President Receives UK Home Secretary
Secretary Cooper was accompanied by UK Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt. During her visit to Erbil, Secretary Cooper met Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, and Minister of Interior Rebar Ahmed.
