Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) – The Kurdistan Regional Government’s spokesperson issued the following statement on the 33rd anniversary of the Badinan Anfal campaign.

“Thirty-three years ago, thousands of innocent civilians from the Badinan region were taken and killed while thousands more were forced to flee their destroyed homes as the Ba’athist Regime carried out the final stages of its brutal Anfal campaign.

“The Ba’athist Regime’s genocidal campaign was a ruthless attempt by the oppressive government to maintain power and extinguish the Kurdish freedom movement, which they failed to do as that dream lives on today with the brave and hopeful people of the Kurdistan Region.

“Today, it is the children of our martyrs and the victims of Anfal who are building a strong and prosperous Kurdistan, honouring the memory of those who fought for our freedom, and it is the duty of the Federal Government of Iraq to compensate the families of the victims.

“The Kurdistan Regional Government will, as always, continue to serve the families of our martyrs and work to provide a brighter future to the people of the Kurdistan Region.”

Jotiar Adel
KRG Spokesperson

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, August 25, 2021

As we commemorate the 33d anniversary of the Badinan Genocide today, we pay tribute to the martyrs who lost their lives at the hands of the Ba’ath regime during the last stages of the Anfal Campaigns against the civilian population in Badinan on August 25, 1988.

Five divisions of the then Iraqi army took part in the systematic attacks which indiscriminately rounded up innocent civilians, and sent them to the death camps of the Iraqi southern deserts.

More than 182.000 people lost their lives in many areas across Iraqi Kurdistan, from Garmian to Badinan, as the Anfal Campaigns systematically and indiscriminately targeted civilians. The campaigns also resulted in the destruction of thousands of villages across Kurdistan, severely damaging the environment and demolishing the infrastructure in the region.

The Anfal Campaigns in Badinan and all the crimes committed against the people of Kurdistan are eternal wounds that will never be forgotten. These heinous crimes demonstrate the oppression against the people of Kurdistan due to their peaceful pursuit of freedom and their just rights.

Remembering Anfal should encourage us to further strengthen peace and unity among all communities in Kurdistan in order to overcome current hardships. These horrifying atrocities must lead us all towards tolerance and peaceful coexistence and encourage us to further preserve Kurdistan’s achievements.

As we mark this day, we reiterate that Iraq’s federal government must live up to its legal obligations and implement the verdict of the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal and offer compensations to the victims and their surviving relatives.

Authorities must continue to work for an international recognition of the Anfal Campaigns as genocide and also continue to document these crimes to prevent their repetition anywhere else in the world.

On this day, we salute the people of Erbil and its surroundings for their courageous roles in sheltering and assisting the families who were targeted in the Anfal campaigns in Badinan. Their generosity and support to the affected families will forever remain in our memory.

We pay tribute to the memories of the fallen heroes of Anfal and all the martyrs of Kurdistan.

Nechirvan Barzani
Kurdistan Region President

https://presidency.gov.krd/en/statement-by-the-president-of-the-kurdistan-region-on-the-anniversary-of-anfal-bahdinan/

 The World Heritage Committee today added 13 cultural sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List and one extension to an existing cultural site in Mexico. Roșia Montană Mining Landscape (Romania), was simultaneously inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger pending the removal of threats to its integrity posed by possible extractive activities.

These additions were made during the extended 44th session of the World Heritage Committee held online and chaired from Fuzhou (China), which is examining nominations from both 2020 and 2021. The inscription of sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List is scheduled to continue through 28 July.

Iran (Islamic Republic of), Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat

The remote and mountainous landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat bears testimony to the traditional culture of the Hawrami people, an agropastoral Kurdish tribe that has inhabited the region since about 3000 BCE. The property, at the heart of the Zagros Mountains in the provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah along the western border of Iran, encompasses two components: the Central-Eastern Valley (Zhaverud and Takht, in Kurdistan Province); and the Western Valley (Lahun, in Kermanshah Province). The mode of human habitation in these two valleys has been adapted over millennia to the rough mountainous environment. Tiered steep-slope planning and architecture, gardening on dry-stone terraces, livestock breeding, and seasonal vertical migration are among the distinctive features of the local culture and life of the semi-nomadic Hawrami people who dwell in lowlands and highlands during different seasons of each year. Their uninterrupted presence in the landscape, which is also characterized by exceptional biodiversity and endemism, is evidenced by stone tools, caves and rock shelters, mounds, remnants of permanent and temporary settlement sites, and workshops, cemeteries, roads, villages, castles, and more. The 12 villages included in the property illustrate the Hawrami people’s evolving responses to the scarcity of productive land in their mountainous environment through the millennia.

Source: https://en.unesco.org/news/cultural-sites-africa-arab-region-asia-europe-and-latin-america-inscribed-unescos-world

ehran, Iran, August 6, 2021

Continuing his visit to Tehran, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Mr. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly, the Majlis.

At the meeting, attended by Kurdistan Region Speaker of Parliament, Ms. Rewaz Fayeq, the development of relations between Iraq, the Kurdistan Region and Iran on the basis of mutual interest and neighborly friendship were underlined. Preserving regional peace and stability was affirmed.

At the meeting, attended by the President’s accompanying delegation and a number of officials of the Islamic Republic, discussions also focused on the developments in the wider region and other topics of mutual interest.

Tehran, Iran, August 6, 2021

On the second day of his visit to Tehran, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Mr. Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Friday.

At the meeting, attended by Kurdistan Region Speaker of Parliament, Ms. Rewaz Fayeq and the accompanying delegation, the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s relations with Iran were highlighted. Discussions also focused on the developments in Iraq, the Kurdistan Region and Iran, peace and stability and areas of mutual cooperation.

Both Presidents referred to the historical relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iran and reaffirmed the need to strengthen relations, particularly in areas of trade and commerce, and preserving regional peace and stability.

The latest developments in the wider region and other topics of mutual interest were highlighted.

https://presidency.gov.krd/en/president-nechirvan-barzani-meets-with-president-ibrahim-raisi/

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, August 5, 2021

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani took part in the oath taking ceremony of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s incoming President Mr. Ebrahim Raisi, held at the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the Majlis.

Continuing his official visit to Tehran, President Nechirvan Barzani is scheduled to meet with President Raisi and a number of high level officials of the Islamic Republic on Friday.

The President arrived in the capital city of Tehran on Thursday, accompanied by a delegation consisting of Kurdistan Region Chief of Staff, Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs, Minister of Culture and Youth, and Minister of Labor and Social Affairs.

https://presidency.gov.krd/en/the-president-of-the-kurdistan-region-participates-in-the-swearing-in-ceremony-of-the-iranian-president/

Baghdad, IRNA – Head of Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani will be soon heading for Iran to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi.

Abu Dhabi, UAE, June 12, 2021

The President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani met with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Depu Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Saturday.

At the meeting, attended by Iraq’s Ambassador to Abu Dhabi, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s relations with the UAE, the political process in Iraq, the upcoming elections, the threats of terrorism and the dangers of ISIS resurgence were highlighted. The latest developments concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, regional developments, the importance of partnership and coordination among all sides to preserve peace and stability in the region and other issues of mutual interest were discussed.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reiterated his country’s support to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, and expressed UAE’s readiness to develop bilateral relations with the Kurdistan Region.

The President congratulated the UAE after its election to the United Nations Security Council for the period 2022-2023, which demonstrates the international community’s faith in the UAE as a global partner for development and cooperation on the world stage.

The President expressed gratitude to the UAE for its humanitarian support to the Kurdistan Region, especially the recent initiative by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint al-Mubarak securing thousands of Covid-19 vaccines for the displaced and refugees hosted in the Kurdistan Region. The President also offered his appreciation for the UAE Red Crescent and the UAE Consul General in the Kurdistan Region. The President reaffirmed that the Kurdistan Region is willing to assist all UAE investment and business projects in Kurdistan.

The President and the Crown Prince further agreed that cooperation and partnership among the regional countries, including Iraq, the Kurdistan Region and the UAE, is important to safeguard peace and stability in the region and to confront terrorism.