Press release: FCO Minister visits Iraq

Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood met with political leaders in Baghdad and Erbil to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to defeating Daesh and support efforts to bring unity to Iraq.

In Baghdad, Minister Ellwood met with Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, and Speaker of Parliament Salim Al-Jibouri, to emphasise the UK’s continued commitment to post-Daesh stabilisation efforts, including the training of Iraqi Security Forces. Mr Ellwood also discussed social justice initiatives with a group of nine female MPs from Ninewa.

In Erbil, Minister Ellwood met with members of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) including President Barzani to recognise the KRG’s military success in the Mosul campaign.

Speaking after the visit Mr Ellwood said:

I was delighted to visit Iraq and underline the UK’s commitment in the fight against Daesh.

I commend the substantial progress made by Iraqi forces, particularly as the campaign in Mosul enters a decisive phase. While this is a fight that will take time, we stand shoulder to shoulder with Iraq in its quest to bring peace to those living under Daesh rule.

The UK, as part of the Global Coalition, is a playing a leading role in providing military, humanitarian and stabilisation support to the government of Iraq. I’m proud that we are supporting Iraq and the UN to put in place critical supplies of life-saving assistance, such as shelters, medical services and food.

• The UK’s total commitment for humanitarian support in Iraq now stands at £169.5m since June 2014, including £90m in 2016, a significant amount of which was for Mosul. The UK is also providing over £15m of support for UN stabilisation efforts in Iraq.

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