Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) - Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today met with Prime Minister of The Netherlands in Hague, Mark Rutte, to discuss bilateral relations.

As the first stop on his European tour, Prime Minister Barzani visited his counterpart in The Hague and spoke of the importance of further developing trade relations between the two nations.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Kurdistan Regional Goverment’s Minister of Planning, Dara Rashid, and the chairman of the Board of Investment of the Kurdistan Region, Mohammed Shukri.

Prime Minister Barzani updated Prime Minister Rutte on the Kurdistan Regional Government’s progress implementing sweeping reforms to strengthen the Kurdistan Region’s economic infrastructure, and welcomed the Netherlands’ expertise on the matter, notably in how to sustainably develop its agricultural sector in a challenging environment.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of peace and stability in Iraq, stressing the need for a fair and constitutional resolution to ongoing disputes with the federal government to address grievances of minorities in the country.

Prime Minister Rutte expressed his country’s readiness to support the Kurdistan Region in its efforts to grow and diversify its economy and that the Netherlands continues to lend its support through the global coalition to the Peshmerga forces in the fight against terror in the region.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRG) - Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday headed to Europe to meet with senior European officials to discuss the benefits of increased trade with the Kurdistan Region and to strengthen diplomatic ties.

The Prime Minister will lead a government delegation visiting several European countries as part of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s roadmap to diversify its economy and attract foreign investment.

Prime Minister Barzani will meet with European officials and business leaders to explore opportunities and discuss trade issues of mutual interest.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region, November 9, 2020

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani issued a statement strongly condemning the terror attack in Al-Radwaniyah, west of Baghdad, on Sunday night, in which several people lost their lives. Below is the statement:

I strongly condemn the terrorist assault late last night on a base hosting Iraq’s security forces in Al-Radwaniyah, in which unfortunately several members of the security forces and a number of civilians lost their lives. I share the grief of the victims’ families and wish the wounded a speedy recovery.

These attacks demonstrate that terrorism continues to pose threats to our lives, peace and stability. Therefore, it is imperative that all of us stand united, cooperate, coordinate, and confront it together.

Nechirvan Barzani
Kurdistan Region President

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) – Minister Safeen Dizayee, Head of the KRG’s Department of Foreign met on Wednesday with the Consul General Oleg Levin of the Russian Federation in the Kurdistan Region.

Minister Dizayee provided an overview on the recent political, economic, security, and health situation in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq and the wider region.

Russia’s Consul General said that the Russian government values the historic ties with Kurdistan Region and attaches great importance to strengthening these relations at all levels.

Both sides underlined the importance of the Kurdistan Region and Russia relations and agreed to strengthen the already excellent bilateral ties and expand mutual cooperation at all levels.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region, November 6, 2020

In an official ceremony held at the Erbil International Airport to receive the body of the late Dr. Najmadin Karim, the former governor of Kirkuk, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani delivered a speech honoring Dr. Karim’s legacy. Kurdistan Region senior officials, dignitaries and family members of the late governor were present. Dr. Karim’s body was flown from the United States to the Kurdistan Region where he will be, temporarily, laid to rest in Pirmam sub-district.
Below is the text of the speech:

Honorable Guests,
My fellow Kurdistanis:

Today, we receive and honor the body of an accomplished personality and a true champion of Kurdistan, Dr. Najmadin Karim. We pay tribute to him with great sorrow, but also with utmost pride. Dr. Najmadin Karim lived with dignity, and every one of us can remember him as a man of great dignity. Today, we proudly receive and honor his body.

Dr. Karim was a brave and dauntless man. A bravery he had inherited from his Kirkuki and Garmiyani origin. And it was his courage that eventually led him to take historic positions throughout his life and career.

Dr. Karim became a member of the Kurdistan Students Union well before completing the medical school in Iraq. After graduating and without hesitation, the late doctor became a Peshmerga and joined the September Revolution of 1961; serving as a physician. After a short period of time, he was able to gain the trust of Mustafa Barzani, the leader of the Revolution. In the wake of the setback of the revolution, Dr. Karim participated in the preparations for the Gulan Revolution of 1976. And when Mustafa Barzani fell ill, Dr. Karim accompanied him as a physician to the United States.

In the United States, Dr. Karim completed his higher education in medicine and became a board certified specialist in Neurosurgery. He had a high standing within academia as well and made use of his position as a renowned surgeon to reach out and find supporters for the Kurdish cause. He tried to garner ever-greater support for the legitimate rights of the people of Kurdistan. Dr. Karim won lots of friends for the Kurdish Cause and continuously assisted the visiting delegations from Kurdistan to reach out and meet with US officials. Through his uninterrupted strive for Kurdistan, he also developed lasting friendships and ties with political groups and parties from other parts of greater Kurdistan.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
In 2009, Dr. Karim returned to Kurdistan and became a politburo member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. He was a trusted confidant of the late Mam Jalal Talabani and served President Mam Jalal compassionately.

Dr. Karim was in love with Kirkuk. He would often say that for him, Kirkuk was like his heart. When he took office as Kirkuk governor in April 2011, he served Kirkuk wholeheartedly. He was never tired of working for Kirkuk and the Kirkukis. Under his leadership, Kirkuk Governorate witnessed a quantum boom in development and service projects. Nearly 600 schools were built; there were no longer crowded schools, some with three shift attendance. Almost 30 medical centers were built and %70 of the streets in Kirkuk’s inner-city were reconstructed. In addition, the Azadi Hospital was thoroughly renovated, and a large modern hospital was built in Hawija town. The Slemani-Kirkuk-Baghdad roads were reconstructed, the Kirkuk- Erbil road was rebuilt into dual carriageway and the Khasajay Dam was constructed. Every year nearly 400 projects were implemented in Kirkuk.

Dr. Karim served all communities in Kirkuk regardless of ethnicity. At the same time, he knew that Kirkuk is the central issue in the disagreements with Iraq, which is why he strived to resolve the disagreements with outmost devotion in close coordination with President Masoud Barzani and President Jalal Talabani.

In many of these projects in Kirkuk, which were completed with our support from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Dr. Karim would come and speak with us about them and he would insist passionately to get our support in implementing the projects there. He tried ardently to solve Kirkuk’s issues. He knew Kirkuk was the main and fundamental problem between the Iraqi government and the KRG. Unfortunately, since Iraqi parties have not been committed to the implementation of the article 140 of the constitution, this problem is still pending and has greatly damaged all of Iraq.

As we stand before the body of Dr. Karim today, once again we reiterate that the question of Kirkuk and the disputed territories must be resolved peacefully, with dialogue and on the basis of the Iraqi constitution. The longer this issue is delayed, the more complicated the problem becomes. Once again we call for talks, based on the constitution, to resolve these issues.

Dear attendees,
Dr. Najmadin Karim left us after a life full of good work and accomplishments. Once again, I offer my and the Kurdistan Region Presidency’s condolences and sympathies to the family, relatives and the beloved people of Kirkuk and to all the people of Kurdistan.
According to Dr. Karim’s will, he will be laid to rest in Erbil temporarily and we hope that his wish to return his body to Kirkuk is realized in the near future. Hopefully the circumstances become conducive so that we be able to return Dr. Karim’s body to Kirkuk.
Thank you all for attending.

ERBIL, November 4, 2020

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received Mr. Muhammad Wajih Hijazi, the Consul General of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Erbil on Wednesday.

President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated the Consul General on assuming his new mission in the Kurdistan Region and wished him success. The President reiterated the Kurdistan Region’s willingness to develop and strengthen bilateral relations with Egypt in all fields and stated that the people of the Kurdistan Region value their historic relations with Egypt and shed light on the role and the position of Egypt in the region.

On his part, Consul General Hijazi thanked the people and the leadership of the Kurdistan Region for supporting Egypt’s Consulate General and its activities in the Kurdistan Region and conveyed his country’s appreciation for the development of relations with the Kurdistan Region. Mr. Hijazi also highlighted and praised the role of the Peshmerga forces in defeating ISIS and confronting terrorism and emphasized his country’s desire to expand mutual relations with the Kurdistan Region in all fields of cooperation, especially cultural and economic fields.

Both sides also discussed the increase of direct flights between Erbil and Cairo to four flights per week and education opportunities for Kurdistan Region students at Egypt’s universities.

The two sides also shed light on the role of the Al-Azhar University in solidifying the culture of coexistence and harmony among communities, business and investment opportunities for Egyptian companies in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, ways to confront the threats of terror, the latest developments in the wider region and other topics of mutual interest.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) – Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today laid the foundation stone for a strategic project in Erbil as part of the government’s support to farmers and wheat producers.

Joined by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the Kurdistan Region’s economic infrastructure and increasing the local capacity of its food industry.
Prime Minister Barzani said the government continues to advance with its efforts to diversify the economy across all sectors, notably the agricultural sector.

The Prime Minister noted how Kurdistan has a wealth of experience in farming, dating back thousands of years as evidenced by remains of Neanderthal humans found with wheat plants discovered in the Barzan area Shanidar Cave in the mid twentieth century. He also pointed to Charmo, one of the oldest villages in the world located in Kurdistan, where locals worked and lived off the land.

Prime Minister Barzani acknowledged the damage the former Iraqi regime's chemical attack and Anfal campaign inflicted on arable lands in the Kurdistan region, targeting its ability to be agriculturally self-sufficient. He stressed that the Kurdistan Region is prioritizing its food security, and has the potential to become a production hub for Iraq and the broader region.

Recognising the crucial role farmers and producers play in strengthening and diversifying the Kurdistan Region’s economy, the Kurdistan Regional Government recently allocated an additional $250 million to the construction of new factories and silos in support of the local food industry.

During the ceremony, the Prime Minister also urged the public to comply with official health and safety guidelines as pandemic infection rates surge across the Kurdistan Region.