Kurdistan Region extends non-essential government shutdown until May 2
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani chaired a video-conferenced cabinet meeting on Wednesday to discuss the current public health situation, assess its economic ramifications, and continue to develop the autonomous region's approach to combating the coronavirus.
The Council of Ministers decided to extend the closure of non-essential government offices until May 2, while continuing to implement other preventive measures taken in the Kurdistan Region to block the further spread of COVID-19.
The cabinet also decided to authorize the region’s Minister of State to form a delegation to visit Baghdad and discuss the proper role of the Kurdistan Region and its various agencies in support of unifying national efforts to combat the coronavirus, as well as more effectively confronting the resulting economic crisis the federal and regional government are both grappling with.
On this week's occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the deadly genocide campaign against the Kurds known as the Anfal, the cabinet “called on the federal government to fulfil its moral and constitutional duty to compensate victims of this massacre as well as for the damage inflicted on the Kurdistan Region due to racist policies of previous regimes, as stipulated in the constitution,” according to a statement released after the session.
Read More: Senior Kurdistan Region officials highlight Baghdad’s responsibility to compensate Anfal victims
They also condemned the recent attack by Islamic State terrorists on the district of Kolajo, killing two Peshmerga members and wounding several others, at the same time the council stressed that the threat of terrorism still exists and has not yet ended.
Read More: Kurdish leader stresses ISIS still a serious threat after attack kills 2 Peshmerga
During the meeting, ministers praised the role of the Peshmerga, which, in addition to their continuous work in protecting the Kurdistan Region, are actively supporting the internal security forces in enforcing the coronavirus curfew.
In conclusion, read the statement, “The government sent warm greetings to Christians on the occasion of Easter and the Yazidis (Ezidis) for their New Year.”
Editing by John J. Catherine