Kurdistan Region coordinator meets UNODC official in Vienna on migration smuggling

VIENNA — The Kurdistan Regional Government's International Advocacy Coordinator, Dindar Zebari, met with Elias Khatzis, head of the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, to discuss cooperation against migrant smuggling and human trafficking, the KRG coordinator said. Speaking after the meeting, Zebari described migrant smuggling as a problem with both humanitarian and security dimensions. Adil Asaad Riza, an adviser at Iraq's embassy in Austria, also attended the talks. The two sides exchanged views on sharing experience in combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking, expanding capacity-building programs, and broadening the participation of state institutions in the Kurdistan Region in international initiatives. Zebari reaffirmed the Kurdistan Regional Government's commitment to strengthening cooperation with the United Nations and international partners. Khatzis said UNODC was ready to work with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region on capacity building and cross-border organized crime. No further details on planned programs or timelines were provided.