A new organisation dedicated to strengthening ties between the United Kingdom and the Kurdistan Regional Government has been formally established in London, marking what senior officials on both sides describe as a significant moment in one of the most enduring partnerships in the Middle East.
The Kurdistan Society held its official launch reception in London on 28 April 2026, an evening attended by a broad and senior gathering of diplomats, parliamentarians, members of the House of Lords, academics and friends of the Kurdish community. The guest of honour was Safeen Muhsin Dizayee, Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, whose visit to London coincided with a series of high-level engagements including a separate meeting with the Iraqi Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Dr Salih Husain Ali Al-Tamimi, to discuss prospects for enhanced UK-Iraq and Kurdistan Region relations.
Dizayee described the Society as a “vital platform for cultural, academic, and economic synergy between Kurdistan and the UK.”
KRG High Representative to the United Kingdom Karwan Jamal Tahir welcomed Dizayee at the reception and extended congratulations to the Society on the formation of its board and the enrolment of its members. He stressed the importance of the initiative in advancing cooperation across cultural, academic and economic fields, describing it as “more than just a new chapter, it’s the reinforcement of a bridge that’s stood the test of time.”
Laura Roberts, Executive Director of the Society, outlined its core objectives, stating that the organisation “brings together leaders from government, business, academia and the cultural sector to deepen the international understanding of the Kurdistan Region’s pivotal role.” Based in London, the Kurdistan Society is a non-profit organisation formally dedicated to advancing dialogue, culture and partnership between the United Kingdom and the Kurdistan Region.
The launch comes at a moment of heightened strategic significance for the Kurdistan Region. Since the outbreak of conflict between Iran and Israel in March 2026, Tehran has launched numerous missile and drone attacks into Iraq, with Erbil, the seat of the KRG, among the primary targets. The barrage of Iranian strikes, now exceeding 600, has hit infrastructure and US military facilities alike, while proxy militias have targeted business leaders in the city. In this context the establishment of a dedicated UK-Kurdistan institutional platform carries a significance that extends well beyond cultural exchange.
The Kurdistan Region has long been regarded in London as one of the most stable, pro-Western entities in the wider Middle East. Since Operation Safe Haven (Provide Comfort) in 1991, when British troops helped establish safe zones to protect Kurdish refugees from Saddam Hussein’s pursuing forces, the relationship between Britain and the Kurds has been forged in shared sacrifice and sustained by shared values. The Kurdistan Society formalises that relationship at the civil society level, creating an institutional home for the network of political, academic and diplomatic figures who have long supported closer UK-Kurdistan ties
