PM Barzani conveys concerns on northeastern Syria crisis to US official
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani on Tuesday expressed concerns of an impending security and humanitarian crisis in the region in his meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, David Schenker.
Prime Minister Barzani warned that the current situation in northeastern Syria was untenable, emphasizing the need to end the conflict. “If the fighting continues, it will create suitable ground for the re-emergence of the terrorist groups in the area,” his office reported him as saying.
Barzani also stressed the importance of the international community’s support and aid to the Kurdistan Region in hosting Internally Displaced Person (IDPs) and refugees who turned to the autonomous Kurdish region amidst multiplying conflicts in the area.
The Turkish assault into northern Syria, which was launched last week, has so far killed at least 78 civilians and injured 300, according to the hospital in the country’s town of Tal Tamir, some 35 kilometers south to the border town of Ras al-Ain.
Over 200 refugees arrived in the Kurdistan Region through the Fishkhabour border crossing, the KRG spokesperson Jotyar Adil said on Tuesday. “The KRG, through General Consulates and representatives of many countries in the Kurdistan Region, asked for humanitarian assistance to help the Syrian IDPs and refugees.”
The Kurdistan Region is expecting to receive a large number of refugees from northeastern Syria as the Turkish offensive continues and has been preparing a contingency plan for the worst-case scenario, which is the arrival of 250,000 refugees.
During the meeting, both Barzani and Schenker also discussed Erbil-Baghdad ties, with Barzani affirming that “the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) offered several solutions to outstanding issues, and we are waiting for Baghdad to take solid steps to address the disputes on a constitutional basis.”
Editing by Nadia Riva