The Iraq elections Parliament has not been revealed yet; in addition Iraq Shia’s coalition has not got same opinion about its candidate. However, accordance with the agreement reached at time of Saddam Hussein fall, the former Iraq dictator, for the arrangements of Iraq, three major responsibilities are divided among Shias, Sunnis and Kurds. According to agreement, prime ministry is assigned to Shias, Presidency to Kurds and Parliament chairman to Sunni, therefore in Sovereignty division the presidency is assigned to Kurds and other posts are divided between other two groups. Nevertheless Kurdish groups are duty-bound to agreements and we expect so are all groups and political organizations of Iraq. To unify Iraq nationality, all parties and groups should be obliged to the Constitution and the reached agreement. Thus; we ought to wait for the final outcome of the elections, presently we cannot consider Nuri Al-Maliki definite as the prime minister yet. It is absolute right of all Iraqi political parties and groups to have a partnership-like government. We are duty-bound to a real partnership but those making lots of problem for Iraq before. Anyway we, Kurdish nation, of Iraq respect the Constitution, if Shia organizations gain more seats in the Parliament, it is their right to have prime minister from their own organization.

Mr. Nazem Dabbagh, the Representative of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iran, visited the injuries of Khanegheyn Terrorist Attack an closely inquired the last steps of their remedies.

He visited injuries in one of the hospital of Tehran in May 6 and wished health for them and told that the representative of KRG was prepared to give them any possible helps. Also injuries stated that they were delighted to visit Mr. Dabbagh.

Mr. Nazem Dabbagh, the Representative of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iran, welcomed Salah Al-Zawari,the Palestinian Ambassador in Iran in May 6 in the Office of the Representative of KRG in Tehran.

They discussed the situation of Iraq and Kurdistan Region. Al-Zawari asked about health position of Mr. Jalal Talebani and wished safety for him. Al-Zawari emphasized the role of Jalal Talebani and other Iraqi Kurds leasders such as Masoud and Nichirvan Barzani.

Dr. Mohammed Seddigh Ahmad, the deputy-Representative of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iran, attended at funeral service of Mohammad Bagher and Abdul-Aziz Hakim.

That funeral service was presented by Islamic Premium Legislative of Iraq at Andisheh chamber in Tehran in May 8. Dr. Ahmad and some personal of office of the Representative of f KRG in Iran attend at that funeral service.

Mr. Nazem Dabbagh in talk with Iran-Kurd announced: during history Iran has been a safe shelter for Kurds to have liberal move Kurdistan region, Iranian and Kurds share a race so that so there is a high kinship between us. Nazem Dabbagh, the Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iran, in talk with Iran-Kurd magazine said about historical relations of Kurds in Kurdistan of Iraq with Iran: the cultural and social concern are not strange words for Islamic Republic of Iran and Kurdistan region, since Iranians and Kurds have the same origin and high kinship. He also said during the history Islamic Republic of Iran has been a safe shelter for Kurds to have liberal move in Kurdistan region of Iraq, however these relations has caused to improve cultural relations of both sides. If Kurds and Iranians’ culture are not the same, but they are somewhat related to each other. To make these two cultures be tied we should try more, whereas to strengthen the cultures relies upon art and professional cooperation and even education.

The representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government at the end of this talk said: these three above-mentioned matters can highly impress more cultural kinship between two sides. In spite of this unfortunately there are some related problems that should be solved. I specially want to say about the problem relation to students’ education of Kurdistan of Iraq. My suggestion is about to improve cultural relations and coming up with a solution for this.

Note: this talk was run before solving the problem of Students of Kurdistan region studying in Iran universities. Immediately several days after this talk all problems of these students were solved.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq – (KRG.org) – The Head of the Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), Minister Falah Mustafa met today with the Slovakian Ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Miloslav Nad to discuss furthering bilateral relations between the Slovak Republic and Kurdistan.

The meeting was also attended by the Assistant Head of the DFR, Ms. Siham Jabali and the Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic, Mr. Ahmed Gerdi.

Ambassador Nad was pleased to be in Kurdistan and commended the KRG on its efforts in developing the region, and added his country’s desire to bolster bilateral relations across many sectors.

He spoke about Slovakian efforts to grant visas to the people of Kurdistan through the office of a partner country in Erbil by the end of this year. In addition, he informed the Minister of his government’s willingness to upgrade their diplomatic representation in Kurdistan in the near future.

Minister Mustafa welcomed the Ambassador’s visit and reiterated the KRG’s willingness to consolidate its relations with Central and Eastern Europe and stated “we can learn and benefit from the expertise of countries such as Slovakia in various fields.”

The Minister went on to brief the delegation on the developments between Erbil and Baghdad, highlighting that the upcoming parliamentary elections in Iraq and the provincial elections in Kurdistan, scheduled to take place in less than two weeks, which would define the future political landscape of the country. He added that the KRG is committed to the Iraqi Constitution, a democratic system and genuine partnership.

Finally, both sides discussed the upcoming Global Security Forum (GLOBSEC 2014) scheduled for May in Bratislava, to which Minister Mustafa has been invited. Minister Mustafa’s attendance will help boost KRG’s engagement with Central and Eastern Europe - consolidating relations with the EU member states goes in line with the KRG's open door policy.
 

London, UK (UK.KRG.org) - The Kurdistan Region is open for business and British companies are welcomed, Kurdish officials told members of British Expertise, a leading trade association at a seminar last week.

Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government's Department of Foreign Relations, and Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the KRG's High Representative to the UK, were joined by Alex Lambeth, Director of British Expertise, in highlighting the business opportunities and investor-friendly laws in the region.

The seminar was part of a series of meetings by Minister Mustafa who was in the UK on an official visit. The Minister was accompanied by Siham Mamand, the Assistant Head of the DFR, and High Representative  Abdul Rahman during the visit which included meetings with British officials, parliamentarians, journalists and think tanks.

Minister Mustafa told the seminar at British Expertise, 'There is huge potential in many areas of the economy and we like to do business with the British. Foreign Secretary William Hague recognised this when he made the decision to increase the number of staff at the British Consulate in Erbil a few years ago while other British diplomatic missions were facing cuts.'

The minister outlined the key areas the KRG is promoting - tourism, agriculture and manufacturing - so that the economy is not over reliant on oil.

He also updated the meeting on political developments, relations with Turkey, the Syrian refugee crisis and the forthcoming Iraqi elections.

Ms Abdul Rahman spoke about the Kurdish economy's rapid growth over the past decade, which has been achieved thanks to high levels of security, clear economic policies that focus on services such as the provision of electricity, and the development of an oil and gas sector from scratch in the past seven years. She urged Britain to make visas access easier for business visitors, to start direct flights and for British ministers to lead trade delegations to Kurdistan in the same way as other European countries do.

British Expertise members had a range of questions, including on Kurdistan's trade relations with Scotland and Northern Ireland, the KRG's procurement methods and the impact of Syrian refugees on the economy

London, UK (UK.KRG.org) - Britain and Kurdistan Region have a partnership that should be nurtured, was the message of Kurdistan Regional Government Minister Falah Mustafa during an official visit to the UK last week.

Minister Mustafa, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, who was accompanied by Siham Mamand, Assistant Head of the DFR, and Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the KRG High Representative to the UK, met officials, members of the opposition, parliamentarians, journalists and think tanks to deliver the message.

In a meeting with Hugh Robertson, the UK's Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr Mustafa said, 'We view our relationship with Britain as a partnership of choice, in education, culture, politics and economics. And we want to broaden the areas of cooperation.'

Minister Mustafa called for direct flights between the two countries and more regular visits by ministers on both sides.

During the meeting, the ministers discussed the forthcoming Iraq-wide elections which are scheduled to take place on April 30. Minister Mustafa said it was important that countries like the UK, which have a history in Iraq, continue to support timely elections and the neutrality and authority of the Independent High Electoral Commission.

They also discussed the current political crisis between Baghdad and Erbil and the rise in violence in Anbar which has led to 30,000 people fleeing from there to Kurdistan. This is in addition to the 260,000 Syrian refugees who have taken shelter in the region.

The ministers discussed the problems in Syria and the need to provide aid to people inside the country as well as refugees in neighbouring countries.

The two ministers later made keynote speeches at a ceremony organised by the KRG UK Representation and the Kurdish community to honour those who were killed in the Anfal genocide campaign.

Anfal was an eight-stage killing operation organised by Saddam Hussein's regime that  killed 182,000 people in 1988. This was the peak of a decades-long genocide against the Kurds who are now calling for Britain and other countries to recognise it.

Minister Robertson said at the ceremony, 'There is no doubt that Iraq’s Kurds suffered a terrible injustice under Saddam Hussein. It is important that we reflect on the suffering caused, extend our sympathy to all those affected and reaffirm our belief that no group should be allowed to suffer that fate again.'

This was the first time that a British minister had attended such a ceremony and its significance was acknowledged by Minister Mustafa who said, 'It is a compassionate gesture and one that carries huge significance for the people of Kurdistan as we continue in our struggle for recognition of the Kurdish genocide and the 182,000 lives lost to it.'

At the ceremony, High Representative Abdul Rahman, said, ‘The world must learn the lesson of the Kurdish genocide which is that dictators have to be stopped. Failing to tackle dictators only emboldens their greed and violence.'