German FM Cancels Trip to Iraq as Abadi Blocked His Visit to Erbil

German FM Cancels Trip to Iraq as Abadi Blocked His Visit to Erbil

ERBIL — Iraqi Prime Minister has refused to receive Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel if he intends to visit Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil after Baghdad.

Gabriel had initially planned a trip to Iraq and Kurdistan Region in hopes of giving the sides a helping hand and mediate between them.

Abadi “vehemently opposed” Gabriel’s plan to visit Erbil and meet with Kurdish officials, as reported by Der Spiegel, which has also revealed Iraqi government’s response saying that Gabriel’s visit to Erbil would be “undesirable”.

During a phone conversation between Abadi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Iraqi premier refused to reconsider his position on the issue, which forced the German Foreign Minister to cancel his trip.

 basnews