Iraqi Kurdistan's Top Diplomat Meets Russian Deputy FM for Mosul Operation Talks

Russia's deputy foreign minister and Iraqi Kurdistan’s foreign relations chief put the emphasis of their talks on the Mosul operation.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Iraqi Kurdistan’s Foreign Relations chief Falah Mustafa Bakir discussed on Tuesday the fight against Daesh and the operation to free Mosul.

"During a thorough exchange on the entire range of Iraqi issues, the focus was on the effectiveness of the fight against terrorism in light of the operation to dismantle the Daesh stronghold in Mosul," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

A Kurdish delegation led by Bakir arrived in Moscow on Monday for three days of talks with Russian officials, in an attempt to shore up bilateral ties and the fight against Daesh.

Bakir, who heads the Department of Foreign Relations at the Kurdistan Regional Government, greeted Bogdanov — Russia’s deputy foreign policy chief and presidential envoy for the Middle East, on behalf of the Iraqi Kurdish government, according to the Kurdish office’s statement.

The officials also talked about political process in Iraq and the role of Iraq’s Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the campaign to drive Sunni Daesh militants out of the country’s north. Kurdish fighters are part of the Iraqi government's campaign to retake Mosul.