Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Interior Reber Ahmed on Thursday received a call from UK Under-Secretary of State for Middle East and North Africa Affairs Hamish Falconer in which the two officials discussed recent developments.

Minister of Interior Ahmed posted on X that the call included discussion of critical developments in the region, including the government formation both in Baghdad and Erbil and the recent attack by militias on the Khor Mor gas field, as well as opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation on irregular migration and organized crime.

In recent years, the UK and the KRG have increased cooperation to curb illegal immigration.On August 23, 2023, Minister of Interior Ahmed and the UK’s then-Minister of State for Security Tom Tugendhat signed a memorandum of understanding focusing on coordination, cooperation, and training to combat organized crime.

Read More: KRG Interior Minister joins UK Border Security Summit

In March, Minister of Interior Ahmed also participated in the Border Security Summit, and underlined the KRG’s commitment to confronting human trafficking to secure borders, combat human trafficking, and disrupt criminal networks.

In June 2024, UK Home Office trainers provided an advanced forgery detection course to 40 officers from the Ministry of Interior in efforts to enhance the border capabilities of Kurdistan Region security personnel.