Bratislava, Slovakia (KRG.org) – The Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa concluded his visit to Slovakia where he attended the Bratislava global security (GLOBSEC) forum 2014. GLOBSEC is the leading foreign policy and security forum in Central Europe. This year’s forum gathered a large number of the world’s leading politicians, including Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers and Defense Ministers, as well as a number of international think tank experts. The aim of the forum was to discuss and find ways of better shaping the transatlantic strategic agenda for the coming years.
Minister Falah Mustafa held bilateral meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Janos Martonyi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Lubomir Zaoralek, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajcak, and the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil Fehmy on the margins of the forum.
Minister Mustafa briefed fellow diplomats on the current political situation in Kurdistan and Iraq, particularly the Iraqi parliamentary elections of 30 April and future prospects for the country. He also discussed enhancing bilateral ties with each of the countries and encouraged those who do not have diplomatic representation in Erbil to establish offices in order to build stronger ties with the government and people of Kurdistan on a number of levels. In all meetings, Minister Mustafa highlighted the many opportunities that Kurdistan has to offer and the KRG’s open door policy, setting the groundwork for future cooperation especially between the KRG and Central and Eastern European countries.
During roundtable discussions, Minister Mustafa presented a unique viewpoint from Kurdistan and informed other experts of the history of the Kurds and their right to self-determination. In his concluding remarks, Minister Mustafa said, “The Kurds in Iraq have stated that, should the situation in Iraq remain the same after the recent elections, the KRG will hold a referendum in which the people of Kurdistan can decide to opt for a confederation within the boundaries of Iraq or for independence.” Following Minister Mustafa’s speech, experts commended the KRG and recognized the Kurds’ long-denied right to self-determination.