Kurds, Turcomans, Arabs, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Assyrians and Armenians have all long lived peacefully together in the Kurdistan Region, and we have always respected each other.
History bears witness to the unity and fraternity among Shabak, Kakayee, Yezidi and Faili Kurds. The Kurdish identity gathers us all and forever.
The KRG respects all the components of Kurdistan’s society, and supporting freedoms for them all is one of our duties. The KRG belongs to all and is proud of the rich mosaic of our society.
The Kurdish Diaspora and our youth
The Kurdish Diaspora is part of our family. If there has been any shortcomings in our dealing with them and listening to their issues in the past, we hope that from now on we will live up to their expectations. However, they too should strive to live up to the expectations of their country and use their experiences and skills to benefit Kurdistan; because today, they can be of huge benefit to the Kurdistan Region.
Our youth are our national wealth. Activating and paying attention to the programs that help and support our youth to enjoy and lead better lives was one of the important initiatives of the previous cabinet, and we will likewise continue to support youth programs in the new cabinet.
The youth of Kurdistan must be given the opportunity to excel in their fields of interest, such as sports and authentic Kurdish arts, and the KRG must also encourage them to become intellectuals, writers and historians so that they enrich the libraries and cultural archives of Kurdistan.
The media is our aide
The KRG is committed to support and promote the freedom of journalism and provide for their protection within the framework of the law. We must work to further improve our record in the area of freedom of the press, and in this regard, we need the support of international and civil society organizations.
Law No.35 guarantees the freedom of journalism in the Region, and in this new cabinet, we will consider the media as our aide. Journalists will monitor the activities of the government, pinpoint its shortcomings and publish truthful reports and information. In this way the government will work even more efficiently.
One of the features of democratic societies is the freedom that vocational, social and civil society organizations enjoy. Our organizations must be more active than before. They are called the third sector, and their role must be visible in making positive changes in various aspects of life, especially in the areas of public awareness and the availability of public information.
International recognition of the genocide against the Kurds
The crimes that were committed against the people of Kurdistan were not less than what is known in the international community as genocide. Although a lot has been achieved in the effort to promote the recognition of the genocide against the Kurdish people by governments and organizations throughout the world, we need to broaden our efforts to make the Anfal campaigns and the use of chemical weapons by the former regime of Iraq universally recognised as genocide amongst prominent international groups.
The fact that the Iraqi High Criminal Court has recognised many massacres against the Kurdish people as acts of genocide has created an important foundation for our efforts to promote wider international recognition. We are grateful for this recognition, and we also appreciate the efforts of some European parties and politicians who have also supported this case and who have endeavored to widen the international recognition of the massacres against the Kurdish people as acts of genocide.
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