ERBIL — Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday met with UAE Cabinet Affair Minister Mohammad Abdulla Al Gergawi, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, and UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the annual summit of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Prime Minister Barzani is holding separate meetings with several world leaders.
"Fruitful meeting with Ministers Al Gergawi, @ThaniAlZeyoudi and Abdulla Bin Touq at WEF22. We’ve made progress since we last met," PM Barzani wrote on Twitter following the meeting.
"MoU activated, cross-govt priorities identified; Brought together KRI-UAE businesses; Now exploring support for macroeconomic policies," he added.
During a separate meeting with Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi earlier the day, the Kurdish premier highlighted regional security, political developments as well as how Iraq's friends and partners could support the Kurdistan Region and the country's political and economic aspirations.
PM Barzani also spoke at a panel discussion about security in the Middle East at the World Economic Forum, during which he argued that disengagement of partners in Iraq leaves a gap for others to grow influence in the country.
"Iraq is very heavily influenced by outsiders and external actors. When many Iraqi friends are leaving Iraq to let Iraqis make their own decisions, that doesn’t usually happen [because] the gap left behind is filled by some others," the Kurdish leader said to emphasize the engagement of friendly countries is crucial to help Iraq secure a stable future.