Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani congratulated current Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon the announcement of preliminary results indicating his victory in Turkey’s presidential elections. Prime Minister Barzani wished Prime Minister Erdogan, the Republic of Turkey, and its citizens continued success.

The Prime Minister expressed his hope that Turkey’s direct presidential elections will bring forth further development in Turkey, opening new policies and improvements in all fields. He also expressed his wish to see continued development and coordination, in various sectors, in the mutually beneficial relationship between Erbil and Ankara. Finally, Prime Minister Barzani reiterated his hope for a resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey and a successful conclusion to the peace process under the Erdogan presidency.

During the conversation, Prime Minister Erdogan thanked Prime Minister Barzani and reiterated his wish for further development and expansion in the relationship between Turkey and the Kurdistan Region.

Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq, (krp.org)- President Masoud Barzani received a French diplomatic delegation headed by the Foreign Minister of France, Mr. Laurent Fabius today in Erbil. During the meeting, President Barzani warmly welcomed the delegation and expressed his thanks to the government of France for their support of the Kurdistan Region. 

President Barzani during a press conference with Mr. Laurent Fabius discussed the latest political developments in Iraq and the security and military situation in the Kurdistan Region. President Barzani stated that the terrorists of ISIS will not be able to damage the relations between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and our Arab brothers and that ISIS is a common enemy for all of Iraq and much beyond.

Washington Post Editorial Board

A NEW humanitarian and security crisis has erupted in northern Iraq, where the al-Qaeda-derived Islamic State borders territories controlled by Iraqi and Syrian Kurds. Since last weekend, tens of thousands of civilians have been trapped on a mountainside near the Iraqi town of Sinjar, which was captured by Islamic State fighters. The refugees, including an estimated 25,000 children, lack supplies of food and water and could perish in a matter of days unless a relief corridor is opened, according to the United Nations. Meanwhile, the extremist forces are threatening to capture Iraq’s two largest dams and are pressing toward Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Both the potential human cost and the threat to U.S. interests are vastly greater than in the Gaza Strip, which has consumed the attention of Secretary of State John F. Kerry and senior White House officials in recent weeks. An Iraqi minority group concentrated in the contested area, the Yazidis, is facing nothing less than genocide at the hands of the Islamic State, which considers the sect heretical. Meanwhile, the strongest and most reliable U.S. ally remaining in the region, the Kurdistan government, is struggling to hold the line against Islamic State forces.

The Obama administration’s response to this emergency, however, has been listless. U.S. officials have reportedly authorized the direct supply of munitions to Kurdish forces, which have been attempting to retake Sinjar, and have coordinated attacks by the Iraqi air force against Islamic State targets. It has also pushed the Iraqi government to carry out a humanitarian air drop in the area where the Yazidi refugees are stranded, though the operation achieved only limited results, according to a report by The Post’s Loveday Morris.

Kurdish forces still suffer from the warped and outdated U.S. policy toward Iraq, which prioritizes maintaining a strong central government in Baghdad over aiding the secular, democratic and pro-Western Kurds. A Kurdish delegation that visited Washington last month seeking direct military aid to fight the Islamic State was rebuffed. Administration officials contend they cannot act without the consent and cooperation of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, even though his sectarian policies are largely responsible for returning the country to civil war.

President Obama dispatched some 800 U.S. personnel to Iraq earlier this summer in order to evaluate the Islamic State threat, protect the U.S. embassy and coordinate assistance. But the administration has refrained from major new aid initiatives or U.S. military action, saying that it first wants to see the formation of a broadly representative Iraqi government. That goal may not be achievable in the near future, or ever; meanwhile, the extremist Islamist forces continue to advance, both in Iraq and Syria.

Mr. Obama is right to deny new support to the Iraqi government as long as the toxic Mr. Maliki remains in office. But it can and should act immediately to address the humanitarian crisis in northern Iraq and to further support Kurdish forces, which face the Islamic state along a 600-mile border. If the Iraqi airlift of supplies to the stranded Yazidis is ineffective, the United States should consider other action to save the refugees. It also should supply Kurds with the heavy weapons they have requested and, if necessary, use U.S. air power to stop the Islamic State forces from advancing further.

Erbil, Kurdistan (DFR.KRG.org) – Bruno Saccomani, Canada’s Ambassador to Iraq, visited the KRG Department of Foreign Relations today to express Canada’s support for the Kurdistan Region and to discuss ways of providing assistance.

Minister Falah Mustafa thanked the ambassador for visiting and supporting the Kurdistan Region at this important time. He briefed Ambassador Saccomani about the latest security and humanitarian developments and reiterated the KRG’s call for international support.

Ambassador Saccomani praised Kurdish Peshmerga forces, stating, “We thank Kurdistan for fighting the ISIS militants on behalf of the world.” He commended the humanitarian assistance provided to the refugees and internally displaced people by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the people of Kurdistan Region. He said, “Thank you for being such a great example to the rest of the world. Your compassion and generosity is very much admirable.”

The ambassador emphasized the importance of preserving the safety and stability of the Kurdistan Region, as it has become a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs. “During times of chaos, people run to safety. Because of the KRG and Peshmerga forces, people are running to the Kurdistan Region for safety now,” said the ambassador.

Ambassador Saccomani stated that ISIS is an international threat; therefore, the international community has a moral responsibility to come forward and actively support the Kurdistan Region in terms of humanitarian and military support. He expressed Canada’s full support for the American air strikes against ISIS positions. The ambassador stated that the government of Canada hears the KRG loud and clear and that it will very soon provide logistical military support as well as humanitarian assistance to the refugees and IDPs. The Ambassador spoke of providing urgent medical support for the thousands of Yezidis who were stranded on Mount Sinjar for several days and have taken shelter in the province of Duhok.

Minister Mustafa thanked the Ambassador for Canada’s support and reiterated the determination of the Kurdish leadership and Kurdish Peshmerga forces to continue to fight ISIS terrorists.

Michael Calan, Director General of the Middle East Division at the Canadian Department of International Development and Karwan Jamal, Deputy Head of the DFR, also attended the meeting.