The UK supports a secure, stable, and thriving Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Ministers and senior UK officials have advocated repeatedly for unity and increased cooperation within the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). We continue to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues where they exist, including around budget, salary payments, security cooperation and the oil and gas sector. The UK is supporting Iraq as it undertakes the bold long-term reforms needed to put Iraq's economy and society on a stable long-term footing.

The UK regularly engages with leaders of Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), including during the recent visit of the Security Minister, Tom Tughendhat in August. Following the recent incident in Kirkuk the British Embassy in Iraq has met a range of Iraqi counterparts and continues to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues. The UK supports all efforts to ensure a secure, stable, and thriving KRI exists within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq.

The UK regularly engages with leaders of Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), including during the recent visit of the Security Minister, Tom Tughendhat in August. Following the recent incident in Kirkuk the British Embassy in Iraq has met a range of Iraqi counterparts and continues to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues. The UK supports all efforts to ensure a secure, stable, and thriving KRI exists within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq.

The UK supports a secure, stable, and thriving Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Through our diplomatic engagements, we continue to encourage all parties to work together to find a satisfactory and speedy resolution, noting the importance of oil exports via the pipeline to the health of the economy of the KRI and to Iraq.

It would not be appropriate, given the ongoing negotiations between the governments of Iraq and Turkey regarding the pipeline, for HMG to speculate on any timelines for its reopening.

As of 13 June 2023 there were 154 UK Service personnel deployed to the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Those personnel are deployed under Op SHADER and provide mobility support and force protection to the Counter-DAESH coalition activity under Operation Inherent Resolve.

The UK condemns the continued attacks by Iran of areas in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Iran must cease its indiscriminate bombardment of Kurdish towns which has led to the loss of innocent lives and damaged civilian infrastructure. These attacks are a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity and are wholly unacceptable. They demonstrate a repeated pattern of Iranian destabilising activity in the region. The UK has condemned Iranian infringement of Iraqi sovereignty alongside likeminded partners at the United Nations Security Council. The UK remains committed to the security and sovereignty of Iraq and will continue to work with the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure this.

The support to Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI) Security Sector Reform (SSR) has been very important. Indeed, when visiting the KRG myself in December 2020 I was able to see how it contributes to our overarching support to the Iraqi state towards the enduring defeat of Daesh. So far, the UK has trained over 120,000 Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Security Forces in Infantry skills, counter-IED, engineering, and medical expertise. As a result, their capabilities have increased considerably, and they are able to contribute to the success of the counter-Daesh campaign.

The UK continues to have a close relationship with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, and our ministers and diplomatic representatives maintained regular contact with representatives of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq in 2018 and 2019. Current and former Foreign Secretaries and Ministers for the Middle East and North Africa have spoken with the KRG leadership including President Nechirvan Barzani. Most recently, I spoke to Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Masrour Barzani on 23rd September. The UK looks forward to continued close engagement with the KRG as a critical and valued partner in the region.

The UK is supporting Iraq as it responds to the coronavirus outbreak. We have committed £16.9 million of funding to help combat coronavirus in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This is helping to provide hospitals and primary care clinics with clean water, medication, soap and equipment. We are working closely with UN and INGO partners to help Iraq manage the pandemic whilst continuing to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, including displaced people.

Since 2014, the UK has committed over £272 million in humanitarian support, and £110 million towards stabilisation efforts in Iraq, helping those who are most urgently in need following the conflict with Daesh.

The UK supports a strong Kurdistan Region within a strong and unified Iraq. We welcome the new Government of Iraq under Prime Minister Kadhimi and are encouraging the new Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to co-operate closely in order to resolve all issues in accordance with the 2005 Iraqi Constitution. The UK will continue to engage with both sides in support of this endeavour.

The UK has a persistent partnership with Iraq. We are committed to supporting the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga in countering the threat from Daesh. Together with Iraq, we have a shared aim of ensuring Daesh's enduring defeat, in addition to a long-term commitment to stabilisation of the country. Our efforts to support a stable and prosperous Iraq are vital to UK national security.

​Displaced people in all areas of Iraq continue to deal with significant challenges, including forced displacement, risk of eviction and a lack of access to services. A significant number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) reside in Ninewa; recent updates from camps in the governorate suggest that the majority of issues are around poor access to electricity and water, whilst the main concerns for out-of-camp IDPs relate to need for healthcare services and cash assistance. UK officials closely monitor the humanitarian situation across the whole of Iraq. Overall there has been significant progress since the country was liberated from Daesh, with the number of IDPs now below two million, and the number of returnees over four million. If we are to see continued progress, it will be vital for the Government of Iraq to coordinate closely with the Kurdish Regional Government to ensure that IDPs continue to be able to return to areas such as the Ninewa Plains.

​UK officials closely monitor the situation in Iraq and are in regular contact with Governors in provinces liberated from Daesh, and the Government of Iraq, including the Prime Minister's Office, to discuss issues such as territorial disputes in the Ninewa Plains. UK staff also coordinate with partners such as the UN's International Organisation for Migration to track conditions in areas of return, including indicators such as access to services, safety and security.

The UK funds livelihood projects in northern Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq through the UN’s Iraq Humanitarian Fund (IHF). In 2017 IHF-funded livelihoods projects provided 6,033 displaced or conflict affected people with temporary employment opportunities. The UK also funds livelihood creation through the UNDP Funding Facility for Stabilisation (FFS), which focuses on areas liberated from Daesh. In order to create conditions for people to return home, the FFS aims to kick-start local economies by rehabilitating critical infrastructure, providing grants for small businesses, and by directly generating income opportunities.

​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.

There is no doubt that both sides see the opportunity under the constitution to ensure that the relationships between them are strong and good. There has been a great deal of conciliation in an area that could be one of much greater conflict, and the UK is encouraging that dialogue to minimise the risk of the issues that my hon. Friend raises.

I was able to meet with both Prime Minister Abadi and Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani in Munich at the weekend, when on behalf of the UK I encouraged the continuing dialogue recently begun between them individually, which is essential to the long-term stability of Iraq. We have no current plans for observers from the UK to attend May’s elections, but we are working with others to ensure efficient and effective monitoring.

I am unable to place their confidential diplomatic correspondence in the House of Commons Library. The UK’s role in negotiations ahead of the Referendum was covered during my evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 9 January. Our Ambassador to Iraq, together with the US Ambassador and UN Special Representative, made strenuous efforts in the weeks before the Referendum on 25 September to persuade the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to postpone the Referendum in return for talks on all areas of dispute between the KRG and the Government of Iraq, supported by the international community and with no pre-conditions.