At a Glance

• Erbil and London pledged to prioritize mutual relations.
• Barzani described ties with Iraq as being “in a very strong phase.” 
• Holly Vare begins her mission following Andrew Bizley.

Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), met with Holly Vare, the newly appointed British Consul General to the Kurdistan Region, with both sides addressing bilateral ties, Erbil-Baghdad relations, and the broader regional political landscape.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• Masoud Barzani welcomed the new British Consul General to the Kurdistan Region.
• Holly Vare stressed her “commitment to sustaining and further prioritizing the bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and the United Kingdom.”

Barzani Headquarters said in a statement that Barzani and Vare met on Sunday in Erbil, with the British Consul General expressing “her pleasure in meeting President Barzani and embarking on her tenure as the new British Consul General in the Kurdistan Region.”

Vare also expressed admiration for the progress achieved by the Kurdistan Region across various sectors.

Both parties discussed the political situation in Iraq, with the relationship between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq serving as another focal point of the discussion.

Barzani emphasized that relations between Erbil and Baghdad, under the leadership of Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, “are currently in a very strong phase, characterized by solid coordination and mutual understanding between both sides.”

The meeting also covered the political situation, latest developments, and shifting dynamics across the wider region.

FYI

Former Consul General Andrew Bizley formally marked the conclusion of his mission in July, and in a farewell message, thanked the Kurdistan Region for the “warmth and openness” with which he was received.

“I will leave this place carrying a little bit of the Kurdistan Region in my heart, and I will probably leave a little bit of my heart here,” he noted.

Prior to her appointment in Erbil, the new Consul General, Holly Vare, built extensive regional expertise within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, serving as the Deputy Head of Mission for the British Embassy to Yemen and as Deputy Head of the Iraq and Arabian Peninsula Department.

Her distinguished career spans multiple high-level security and strategy roles across the UK Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Defence, and NATO Headquarters.