Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, With whom the Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN met with in an official capacity during his recent visit to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; what subjects were discussed in those meetings; what assessment he has made of the value of visit to UK-Kurdistan Region relations; and if he will make a statement.

​On 2 and 3 March, the Minister for The Commonwealth and UN, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon met the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani; the Head of the Department for Foreign Relations, Falah Mustafa; Minister of Interior, Karim Sinjari; and representatives from Women's Rights, Yezidi and Christian organisations. The Minister's visit was primarily focused on preventing sexual violence in conflict, holding perpetrators to account and supporting survivors. The Minister pressed the KRG to meet its international obligations on human rights, discussed challenges around preventing sexual violence in conflict and gender-based violence, and emphasised the importance of female participation in the policatical and reconciliation process. It was a positive visit which advanced UK objectives and underlined UK support for the Kurdistan Region within a unified Iraq.