Estonia’s Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur on Wednesday expressed his country’s readiness to strengthen ties to the Kurdistan Region during a visit to Erbil.

Minister Pevkur on Wednesday met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and discussed strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of security and defense.

According to the KRG readout, Prime Minister Barzani expressed his gratitude for Estonia’s support and cooperation with the Kurdistan Region as part of the international coalition against ISIS.

Minister Pevkur also separately met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, who expressed his gratitude to Estonia for its support and assistance to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, especially in the fight against terrorism.

He also affirmed the Kurdistan Region’s readiness to further strengthen cooperation with Estonia across all sectors.

Currently, up to 110 Estonian soldiers operate in Iraq, most of them in the Kurdistan Region, carrying out base protection, manning a rapid reaction unit, and providing personal protection at the Erbil International Airport.

The visit of Minister Pevkur comes amid increased drone attacks on the Kurdistan Region and discussions over the future of the presence of the U.S. led-Coalition against ISIS. 

For the third day, on Wednesday drone strikes targeted the oil infrastructure of the Kurdistan Region.

The United States on Tuesday condemned the attacks and called on the Iraqi federal government to prevent these attacks.

Iraq has previously promised to investigate the attack on Erbil’s Khurmala field, but has not been able to stop any attacks.

The KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources on Wednesday called on the federal government and international community to stop these attacks.