Based on the report of Mehr News Agency, as the representative of KRG of Iran visiting Mehr News Agency, Ali Asgari on Monday noon stated: Mehr News Agency tries cultural attitude, this is why that it is a priority in Kurdish Language Service. He added: sine inaugurating Mehr has sustained its cultural approach, and in this direction while trying for more intimacy and unity Kurdish language is endeavoring that cultural concern is supposed to be a priority by this attitude.

Mentioning that the relations between Iran and regional counties have to be strengthened, the Chief Executive Officer of Mehr News Agency added: one of our priorities in Kurdish language is to try to achieve this goals and that is why we are making attempts to move in this direct. He deemed producing news in Kurdish language a high sensitivity and said: we are following these sensitivities and trying to provide more intimacy and cooperation in the region. The managing director finally asked the representative of KRG of Iraq in Iran to have a nice cooperation with this media and lay the ground to support Kurdish language of Mehr News Agency.

As expressing his happiness for inaugurating Kurdish Language Service of Mehr News Agency, the representative of KRG also said: it is expected that Mehr News Agency can sincerely try in this new direction.

New York, USA (dfr.gov.krd) - A Kurdistan Regional Government delegation was in New York this week during the United Nations 70th General Assembly to highlight the ongoing fight against ISIS and the humanitarian and economic challenges facing Kurdistan.

The delegation was led by Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations. The KRG's Representative to the United States, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, accompanied the minister, along with Assistant Head of the DFR Siham Mamand and Advisor at the DFR Rawand Darwesh.

They met ministers and senior officials of various countries, representatives of the UN, the media and other organisations to update them on recent developments and to urge them to support the UN's call for more funds to help the displaced people who fled ISIS and are sheltering in Kurdistan and other parts of Iraq. The Kurdistan Region is sheltering 1.8million displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees. This, combined with the fall in oil prices and the costly war against ISIS, are impacting services to the host and refugee communities and hampering Kurdistan’s vibrant economy.

The delegation also called for an investigation into the horrific events of last year in which the Yezidis and other minorities were targeted by ISIS terrorists in what amounts to genocide.

Minister Bakir spoke at a high level meeting at the UN urging friendly nations to do more to support Kurdistan with the humanitarian crisis.

Minister Bakir told the meeting, 'We support the efforts of the United Nation and the international NGOs working with us but indeed we need to do more in order to provide food, shelter and education in order to give them (the displaced) hope, otherwise this will be very difficult for us to cope with,” he said.

The KRG Minister made this intervention at a special UN session that focused on the humanitarian situation and its broader impact on Iraq. Leading the event, Sarah Sewall, US Undersecretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, outlined the threat to the displaced because the UN has struggled to raise the funds needed to continue its humanitarian programmes in Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq.

As she appealed to the international community to fund the UN’s programmes, Ms Sewall announced that the United States will contribute an additional $56m in humanitarian assistance for Iraq, bringing the US’s total contribution to Iraq, including Kurdistan, to $540m since start of fiscal 2014.

Several speakers praised the government of Iraq, the KRG and the people of Kurdistan for their compassion towards the displaced population. Iraq's Minister for Displacement and Migration Jasim Al-Jaf. Made a keynote speech at the which was attended by the representatives of several international organisations as well as diplomats.

Nazem Dabbagh the representative of KRG in Tehran talking with the reporter of international group of Ana News Agency about the turkey’s attack to P.K.K in Dohuk Province of Kurdistan Region of Iraq by Turkish fighters’ army said: unfortunately it is true, and has caused to kill a number of this group. He continued: due to bombing the positions of P.K.K, Turkey has again made a gap in the process of cease-fire and reconciliation between this group and the government of this country. In my view this strike was great obstruction of peace negotiations. He added: I believe that turkey must not begin to strike P.K.K to solve its problem with this group since it leads no accomplishment but to aggravate the situation. Dabbagh said: as of a yet for a difference of opinion among Turkish authorities and P.K.K in the process of peace there has been disarray, now army attack and bombing the positions of this group by Turkey fighters will absolutely end the negotiations of peace and reconciliation. At the end he said of making call of some KRG authorities with Turkey about bombing P.K.K positions.

News Network of Rudaw, according to eyewitnesses, reported: following these severe bombing four numbers of P.K.K died and the residents of the region abandoned their homes and in a talk a source said PUK media that ten more members of this group injured. The media relating to this group announced that the Turkey army has begun to attack Zaab, Haftanin and Avashin and P.K.K has reacted these strikes.

This is while between Turkey and P.K.K during last two years there was cease-fire and peace negotiations, but P.K.K charged Turkey for dillydallying and killing time in negotiations and political exploitation of it, furthermore Turkish government charged this group to misuse the government operations of peace and started to strike P.K.K positions.   

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, yesterday received a delegation from People’s Democratic Party, HDP, led by Turkish parliament member, Osman Baydemir, and several representatives of the party in Kurdistan Region and Turkey.

The members of the delegation expressed their condolences to the government and the people of Kurdistan Region on the killing of a number of civilians in last week’s Turkish air attack on Zargali village in the Kurdistan Region.

The delegation visited the Region in order to investigate the incidence.

The members of the delegation also shed light on the situation of the Kurdish people in the region in general, describing it as fragile and necessitates cooperation among all the political sides and protect the unity of rank in the face of the challenges ahead for the region in general and the Kurdistan people in particular.

The two sides also discussed the peace process in Turkey and the recent confrontations between Turkey and Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK. They stressed that the current tension cannot be solved militarily, but only through peaceful means.

In this regard, Prime Minister Barzani reaffirmed that the Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, is ready to play its role in helping to revive the peace process in Turkey and resume negotiations between the two sides.

Regarding the civilian casualties in the recent confrontation between Turkey and PKK, Prime Minister Barzani said that PKK guerrillas should move away from villages and populated areas, and Turkey also must not target civilians in search for PKK guerrillas.

He pointed out that large numbers of civilian population have abandoned their villages in the border areas for fear of possible bombardments. 

Prime Minister Barzani reaffirmed that the current tension cannot be solved militarily, calling on both sides to return to the negotiation table.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers yesterday held its ordinary meeting, chaired by Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani and attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani.

Prime Minister Barzani shed light on the latest developments in the relations between Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, and the Iraqi Federal Government, highlighting the differences between the two sides over the implementation of Iraq’s 2015 Federal Budget Law.

The KRG has fulfilled its obligations as stipulated in the Law, while the Iraqi government has not fully honoured its obligations, which consist of the payment of Kurdistan Region’s budget.

The Iraqi Federal Government takes this stance at the moment when the financial burden on the KRG has dramatically increased, due to the ongoing war against the Islamic State terrorist organization, ISIS, and, in addition to its 1.7 million refugees and internally displaced persons, IDPs, Kurdistan Region continues receiving waves of people fleeing the zones under ISIS.

Prime Minister Barzani pointed out that the KRG continues exerting great effort to ease the Region’s financial difficulties. He reiterated that his government aims at settling the problems with Baghdad through dialog and negotiations. However, he added, if the negotiations lead to no result, the KRG is entitled to settle its problems on the basis of law No. 5, Year 2013, which gives authority to the KRG to seek sources helping to stabilise the Region’s financial security, if Baghdad fails to do so.

In another part of the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Talabani and Ministers of Finance and Economy and Natural Resources discussed the issue of loan from international banks under the Kurdistan Region Parliament Law No. 7 of 2015, published in Official Gazette on 25 June.

Deputy Prime Minister Talabani briefed the Council about the talks held recently with a number of international financial institutions, noting that the move will help the Kurdistan Region not only in securing financial resources, but it would also further enhance the position of the Kurdistan Region in gaining market credibility.

The members of the Council expressed their support for this project and decided to set up a special committee to be in charge of the implementation of the Law.

Issue of amendment of Kurdistan Region Presidency Law

Regarding the Kurdistan Parliament meeting which held on 23 June 2015 to discuss amendments to the Law of Kurdistan Region Presidency, Prime Minister Barzani pointed out that this move created unease among the people in the Region and was a violation of the principle of consensus, while the session of parliament was held without consulting other parties and not taking into account the current difficulties which the Kurdistan Region passes through.

However, he added, exerting efforts to reach a common understanding among the leaders of political parties continues.

He said, meanwhile, the Kurdistan Parliament move should not reflect in the government work, which as a broad-base government has been conducting its affairs in harmony and unity of ranks.

The Ministers, present at the meeting, unanimously expressed their support for the stance of Prime Minister on the need for the unity of ranks and stances in conducting government affairs, and not to violate the principle of consensus. They also expressed concern about the Parliament move which deals with a sensitive subject at this critical moment.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd/mnr.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, has increased its direct oil sale in June due to the "significant debt backlog arising from the budget cuts of 2014 imposed by the federal government, and the need to pay down debts accumulated in 2014 from pre-payments for oil sales”, KRG Ministry of Natural Resources said in its June Export Report.

Due to these difficulties, the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources has been obliged to increase its independent oil sale, the report said.

According to the report, KRG tanks in Ceyhan port in Turkey received 17,130,639 barrels of crude oil (an average of 571,021 barrels per day, bpd) in June, through the Kurdistan pipeline network to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey.

Fields operated by the KRG contributed 12,740,711 barrels (an average of 424,690 bpd), while fields operated by the North Oil Company, NOC, contributed 4,389,928 barrels (an average of 146,331 bpd).

In June, KRG supplied 4,493,334 barrels (an average of 149,778 bpd) to Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Company, SOMO, in Ceyhan.

According to the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources Report, the KRG has indepemdently sold 11,893,231 barrels in June.

Following the budget cut imposed by Bagdad early 2014, KRG largely relied on international and local loans in securing the Region’s civil servants salaries and public services spendings.

Kurdistan Region financial difficulties continued in 2015, as the Iraqi Federal Government has, to date, failed to abide by its agreement with KRG reached last December on oil export and budgetary issues.

According to the December agreement, KRG is committed to export 550,000 bpd in return for a budget entitlement close to one billion US dollars per month to be paid by the federal government. The agreement was approved within the framework of the Iraqi Federal Budget Law for 2015.

KRG Ministry of Natural Resources June Report emphasises that, “In 2015, the difficult economic situation facing the Region has been exacerbated by the partial payments made to the KRG by the Federal Government.”

Although, KRG independent oil sales has increased, the report stresses that KRG remains committed to the 2015 Federal Budget Law in its entirety.

“[The KRG] will continue to work with its counterparts in Baghdad to reach a resolution on all the outstanding issues of oil and gas as described in the joint statement of June 17, 2015 by the KRG’s Regional Council for Oil and Gas Affairs and the five political parties in the Kurdistan Regional Government”, the report said.

In a statement issued following a joint meeting on June 17, between KRG Regional Council for Oil and Gas and the five political parties in Kurdistan Regional Government, it was stressed that, “If the Federal Government does not abide by the Federal Budget Law, the KRG will be obliged to pursue other legal solutions to settle Kurdistan Region’s financial difficulties and provide the Region’s people with security and other basic necessities in light of Law No 5 of 2013 of the Kurdistan Parliament.”

Full June Export Report

Kurdistan Region Presidency’s Chief of Staff Fuad Hussein announced that President Masoud Barzani has set the 20 August 2015 as the date for presidential elections in the Kurdistan Region. He added that the President has tasked the relevant KRG authorities to ensure fair and free elections are held for the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, (gov.krd) – In a conference held in Erbil to discuss the results of a joint programme conducted by Kurdistan Regional Government and World Bank on the impact of internally displaced people on the Kurdistan Region’s economy and society, Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani stressed the urgent need for additional assistance to address the crisis.

Prime Minister Barzani said, “The presence of close to two million refugees and IDPs has changed the demography of the Kurdistan Region; the population of the Region increased by 28 percent in 2014.” He stressed “The crises has placed a huge burden on the KRG, particularly in the sectors of education, health services, housing and related services, and employment.”

Following is the text of Prime Minister Barzani’s speech:

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Representatives from foreign countries,
Representatives of the World Bank,

Good morning to you all and welcome,

I am pleased to be here with you today to participate in this gathering to discuss the implementation of an important program pertaining to refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), and their impact on our Region’s economy and society.

I would like to thank the World Bank for accepting our request to assist in assessing the impact of refugees and IDPs on the socioeconomic life of the Kurdistan Region and the burden on the KRG.

I would also like to thank the KRG Ministry of Planning and relevant KRG organisations for the support they provided in conducting the assessment.

Ladies and gentlemen,

After 2003 the KRG embarked on a wide-ranging programme to achieve stability, economic development, and to improve all sectors in the Kurdistan Region. Some developments were achieved very quickly. Within a short period of time, our Region became a shining example on the map of the Middle East.

Regarding certain important issues and treatment by the Iraqi federal government we cannot deny the fact that we have had difficulties. Unfortunately, the previous Iraqi federal government did not take positive steps toward resolving outstanding issues; indeed, it further complicated the issues.

The impact of the Syria crisis has directly affected the Kurdistan Region. A significant number of Syrian refugees sought safe haven in our Region. Taking into consideration the international principles of human rights, we opened our doors and provided them with refuge and humanitarian assistance.

Due to worsening security elsewhere in the country, Iraqi citizens of all ethnic and religious backgrounds have been fleeing to our Region.

Triggered by overwhelming security events in Anbar, Salahuddin, and later Nineveh Governorates most displaced people arrived during the past one year. When Daesh (Islamic State terrorist organization) assumed control in Mosul and other areas, numerous Iraqi citizens became victims of brutal terror and ethnic cleansing, particularly Christians and Yezidis.

The sudden attacks by Daesh terrorists against the Kurdistan Region with advanced weapons captured from Iraqi army plunged the Kurdistan Region into an unwanted war. The Peshmerga forces performed their duty faithfully and continue to defend the security and dignity of the people of our Region along a frontline of more than one thousand kilometre long.

These crises occurred within a very short time and initially there was no plan on how to confront them. The former federal Iraqi government worsened the crisis.  In early 2014 the federal government withheld the payment of Kurdistan Region employees’ salaries and complicated the federal budgeting process. In addition to dealing with humanitarian and security challenges, the Kurdistan Region also faced a serious financial crisis.

The KRG believes the current crisis will end. But today we need the international community to provide major additional military and humanitarian support to our Region.

The presence of close to two million refugees and IDPs has changed the demography of the Kurdistan Region; the population of the Region increased by 28 percent in 2014. The crisis has placed a huge burden on the KRG, particularly in the areas of education, health services, housing, and employment.

I reiterate my call to the international community to take the situation of the Kurdistan Region seriously and to urgently provide additional assistance.

The data and information being presented today by the Ministry of Planning and the World Bank are of great importance to our Region.  It will help develop a road map to effectively address the financial and humanitarian challenges facing the Kurdistan Region.

The KRG pays serious attention to this study. Although the findings are not encouraging, it will help us deal with the humanitarian, security and financial challenges we face.  This study highlights the impact of the current crisis on health and other sectors. We should deal with the findings carefully. Notably, in some areas the number of refugees and IDPs exceeds the local population.

The existence of such a large number of refugees and IDPs is causing a negative impact on the daily life of our people. Major impacts include price inflation of basic commodities and high unemployment. The people and the government of the Kurdistan Region are under significant pressures.

I am very proud of the welcoming attitude of our people towards refugees and IDPs who have sought refuge in our Region. But we have to be mindful that the KRG alone, with its limited resources, cannot adequately care for the people of the Kurdistan Region as well as refugees and IDPs.

Regrettably, the Federal Government of Iraq has not taken the issue of displaced people in the Kurdistan Region seriously enough. Even though IDPs are all Iraqi citizens, the federal government has not yet adequately addressed their needs. For the KRG to cover their needs, one billion and four hundred thousand US dollars will be needed this year.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the members of international coalition against Daesh, to UN Agencies and international organizations and governments for their support and solidarity in providing humanitarian and military assistance to our Region. We keep in mind, however, that considering the magnitude of the crisis we are in need of major additional assistance. 

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people of the Kurdistan Region and to the staff of the KRG for their resilience and support during such critical times. Today the Kurdistan Region on the one hand faces funding constraints by the federal government and on the other hand is directly involved in the fight against Daesh.

The people of Kurdistan Region are experiencing a war situation that brings only destruction, calamity, and socioeconomic turmoil.

I also take this opportunity to thank our heroic peshmerga who fight a most brutal international terrorist organization with their limited resources to defend the security and stability of our Region.  To effectively continue the fight and to successfully put an end to this war it is essential the international coalition provide our peshmerga with heavy weaponry and advanced military expertise.

It is expected that the fight against Daesh and the Syrian crisis to continue and the crisis facing the Kurdistan Region will not end in the near future. It is likely that more IDPs and refugees will seek refuge in our Region. 

To strengthen our capacity to address the humanitarian and security crises it is thus very important to implement effective mechanisms in coordination with the federal government and the international community.

In Iraq, the crises have resulted from inadequate compliance with the constitution, political exclusion, and excessive concentration of political and economic power, particularly during the previous federal administration.

I call upon the current Iraqi Federal Government to take the humanitarian crisis caused by IDPs and refugees seriously and to make it a national priority. From a legal point of view, the onus of responsibility first lies with the federal government.  I also urge the federal government to make concerted efforts to obtain international recognition of the crimes committed against Yezidi Kurds as acts of genocide and to play an effective role in the protection of our Christian brothers and sisters.

In the midst of the current challenges we remain committed to efforts that enhance democracy and political stability, and to defend universal human rights, peaceful coexistence, and religious tolerance.

We believe in ourselves and we are determined to build a strong economy. We are for good neighbourly relations with our neighbouring countries as well as to improving our Region. I look forward to the KRG, the World Bank, and the rest of the international community playing more effective roles in alleviating the suffering of all displaced people in the Kurdistan Region.

Once again, welcome to you all. I wish you all success.  Thank you.