ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell in Erbil on Monday to discuss illegal migration and regional security.

The meeting was also attended by British Ambassador to Iraq Irfan Siddiq and Consul General to Erbil Holly Vare.

According to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Barzani and Powell agreed on “enhancing cooperation and coordination between the Kurdistan Region and the United Kingdom, particularly in addressing illegal migration.”

They also exchanged views on the security situation in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the wider region, the statement added.

The United Kingdom and the Kurdistan Region have shared strong relations for decades. The UK was a key player in the US-led coalition against ISIS, providing training to Peshmerga forces in countering improvised explosive devices (IEDs), infantry tactics, and medical skills, as well as supplying military hardware.

Britain and the Kurdistan Region have long cooperated to curb illegal migration from the Region to the UK.

In November 2024, the British government announced reaching a “world-first” security agreement with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, aimed at combating irregular migration and other border security concerns.

Thousands of migrants illegally try to cross the deadly Aegean Sea every year in search of a better life in Europe and the United Kingdom, with a large number of them coming from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the Kurdish areas of Syria, Iran, and Turkey.

The UK was also among several countries to express its condemnation after two Iranian bomb-laden drones targeted Prime Minister Barzani’s personal office in August.

Powell and Barzani also agreed on “the necessity of preserving the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region” and developing London and Erbil’s bilateral relations, the statement added.

The Kurdistan Region has been targeted by over 1,000 drone and missile strikes since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February, despite Erbil maintaining its neutrality.

In September, a high-level British military delegation visited Erbil and met with senior Kurdistan Region officials to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and security cooperation as the international coalition’s mandate in Iraq approached its end.