Erbil, Kurdistan (DFR.krg.org) – The Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, and the Assistant Head of the DFR, Ms Siham Jabali, welcomed the new UNHCR Coordinator for Kurdistan, Mr Emmanuel Gignac, who arrived in the region last month to begin his mission.

Minister Mustafa welcomed Mr Gignac and congratulated him on his new post, emphasizing the KRG commitment towards strengthening relations with the UNCHR in order to help better assist the refugees from Syria in addition to the internally displaced persons who have arrived in Kurdistan fleeing from the violence in Anbar. He added, “I welcome you to the region and the DFR is ready to help and assist you in any way possible to succeed in your mission.”

The UNHCR Coordinator briefed Minister Mustafa on his activities since arriving in Kurdistan which included visits to three governorates as well as the majority of the refugee camps in the region. He said, ‘There are a lot of challenges here but we appreciate the support that we get from the KRG which has been remarkable. There is a genuine commitment by the authorities here to help the Syrian refugees.’

Minister Mustafa praised the role that the UNHCR is playing and said that the KRG remembers the role they have played in the region from 1991 when their presence acted as a crucial deterrent to attacks from Saddam’s regime. He added, ‘We in the KRG have always looked at the UN as an important partner. We should look at areas where the UNHCR and other sister agencies can help.’

Both sides discussed the challenges and needs of the Syrian refugees living in Kurdistan and discussed various initiatives and ways in which the KRG and UNHCR can work better together. In addition they discussed ways of sending humanitarian assistance into Syria too via Kurdistan as was done towards the end of last year.

International Group: following offering Bulletin News offer on attending in elected president oath of office, Nechirvan Barzani, pick of a board, presented in Islamic Consultative Parliament of Iran and shaked hand with the elected president as a Kurdish governor.

According to Bulletin News, in this travel, Nechiravan Barzani, was accompanied by Kamran Ahmed, minister of Housing and Reconstruction of Kurdistan Region, appointed to Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party.

At first, He was welcomed by Ali Jannaty, proposed for the Culture and Islamic Guidance ministry, and then he went to parliament in order to closely present in ceremony.

Undoubtedly, this act should be considered a step forward in relations between Iraq’s Kurdistan and I.R.Iran. Especially above-named has had an important role in development of Iraq’s Kurdistan with I.R.Iran.

Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and Massoud Barzani, KRG president, as two Iraqi Kurd leaders, today are counted well-known characters that have tried to develop relations with I.R.Iran because of their interests to Persian language.

Massoud barezani was born in Iran and also Nechirvan Barzani studied in Iran. These are apart of memories of two well-known Kurds as essential pillars in their country (Iraq) that have been able to make an attempt to solve the problems.

Simultaneously as Nechirvan Barzani attending in Tehran, Iraqi Kurdistan Government declared that they prepare to help Baghdad for solving security problems and so as to do, a serious negotiation has been started by two sides.

Today, Iraqi Kurds not only in Iraq era, but also in the region, especially about Syria, are the key actor to solve the problems. So by put these abilities into operation, not only some Iraqi problems can be solved, but also to help solution of Syrian crisis reasonably.

Western and Arab states correctly found that how much effective the Kurds are in regional changing and therefore they have highly attempted so that Iraqi Kurd not have any relations with I.R.Iran. But these attempts have been defeated for two reasons.       

Firstly, as mentioned above, like their leaders, many of Iraqi Kurds grew up in Iran and so they engaged themselves to preserve national Iranian Interests.

Secondly, Iraqi Kurd leaders have experienced relations with I.R.Iran as long as Islamic Republic lifetime. They have seen Iranian accompanying by them in difficulties and burdensome and, they have truly known that constitution law of Iraq which recognize federalism for Kurds is for Shia and Kurds coalition in Iraq that provided by Iran helps.

As mentioned before, Iraqi Kurds have never sacrificed its strategic relations Iran to its relations with other Middle Eastern countries.

Then Barzani attending in Tehran should be consider as an omen of good future, especially regional crises are broadened day by day and people get involved and victimized by them.

The Rohani’s cabinet could make excellently use of this potential and employ it to establish peace and reconciliation in the region.

Particularly, in discussion with high-rank officials of Iran, Iraqi Kurd leader friendly welcomed Iranians political epic and stated it formally and informally.

New cabinet could take Kurds card into account of regional interactions. They are important keys that have not being seen in Iran, but it seems new cabinet trust in current potential by inviting Barzani to Iran. Undoubtedly that Iraqi Kurds leader can properly respond to this trust; especially regional people need men who are peace-seeker and believe in a real negotiation.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (KRG.org) – The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) spokesman, Safeen Dizayee, has expressed the KRG’s heartfelt congratulations to Christians around the world on the occasion of Christmas and announced that the days of 25 and 26 December 2013 will be official holidays in all government departments and institutions in the Kurdistan Region. 

At the same times the KRG spokesman announced that the days of 1 and 2 January will also be official holidays in all government departments and institutions on the occasion of the New Year.

Rome, Italy - (KRG.org) – Minister Falah Mustafa led a senior delegation from  the Department of Foreign Relations to Itlay last week where they met Italy's Deputy Foreign Minister, visited the parliament and Minister Mustafa signed an agreement with the Italian Society for International Organisations.

The delegation consisted of the Kurdistan Regional Government's Representative to Italy Rezan Kader, the Assistant Head of the DFR Siham Jabali, advisor at the DFR Saleem Ibrahim, as well as Directors at the DFR Hoshang Mohamed, Tawfiq Rahman and Omer Rashid.

During the four-day visit, the delegation met with Deputy Foreign Minister Lapo Pistelli. Minister Mustafa thanked Mr Pistelli for the Foreign Ministry’s cooperation and said, “The KRG places great importance on its relations with Italy and would also like to thank the Representative Office in Italy and the Italian Consulate in Erbil for the role they play in strengthening our mutual relations.”

Deputy Minister Pistelli welcomed the delegation and said he was pleased at the level of development in bilateral relations highlighting the increase in the number of Italian companies working in Kurdistan. Both sides discussed the latest in Kurdish, Iraqi and regional political and security developments. The delegation also met with a number of other senior officials at the Italian Foreign Ministry.

Later during the visit, Minister Mustafa and Italy's former Foreign Minister Franco Frattini signed a memorandum of understanding between the DFR and the Italian Society for International Organisations (SIOI) which Mr Frattini now heads. The MOU was finalised and signed after Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani approved on a proposal earlier this year.

During his visit to the SIOI, Minister Mustafa spoke at a seminar attended by over 150 diplomats, professors, academics, researchers and journalists. He briefed the audience on the geopolitical influence of Kurdistan, the history of the Kurdish people, the tragedies that they have overcome, the developments since the uprising of 1991 and the future of the region.

Also in the framework of the delegation’s trip to Italy, they visited the Italian Parliament where they were received by the Vice President of the Senate, Valeria Fedeli. Minister Mustafa briefed her on the forthcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections scheduled for April 2014 and spoke about how both Kurdistan and Iraq can benefit from Italy given its history and experiences in democracy. He asked Vice President Fedeli for her support in trying to bring further international recognition of the genocide committed by the former Ba’athist regime against the Kurdish people.

The delegation also visited Perugia University, where Minister Mustafa gave a lecture and met with various officials from the university as well as local government officials. 

The delegation met with various diplomats from the international community as well as members of the business community in Italy. They also paid a visit to the Holy See at the Vatican where they met with Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio. Minister Mustafa outlined Kurdistan's culture of compassion and co-existence and spoke about the Christian community in the region and the Syrian crisis which had resulted in close to 250,000 refugees fleeing there.