On Monday, Dilan Yesilgoz, the leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, was officially appointed as Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in the new Cabinet of the Netherlands.

“What an honor to take over the job from Ruben Brekelmans. A deep bow for his dedication,” she posted on X about the former Dutch Minister of Defense Brekelmans, who also visited the Kurdistan Region twice.

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“He leaves behind armed forces that stand ready to make the Netherlands stronger. Together with our armed forces, I will continue building a country that stands firmly on its own two feet.”

On February 9, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani congratulated Yesilgoz on being appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of the Netherlands.

“We value our relations with the Netherlands and look forward to our continued cooperation,” he posted on X.

During a previous visit to the Kurdistan Region in May 2022, Yesilgoz  met with KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, during which she gave him a Delft Blue plate.

During that meeting, the two officials discussed the importance of continued support for the Kurdistan Region in the fight against ISIS, and the provision of further assistance for the survivors of ISIS crimes.

Yesilgoz was born in Ankara in 1977 to mixed Kurdish-Turkish parents, and came to the Netherlands when her father, Yucel Yesilgoz, a well-known criminologist from the city of Dersim (Tunceli), fled the 1984 military coup in Turkey.