Kurdish and British officials affirm partnership in event honoring Sir John Major

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In a webinar held to honor a former British prime minister’s efforts in securing safe haven for Kurds in Iraq 1991, the Kurdistan Region’s officials along with their UK partners reiterated their commitment to a future together. 

The hour-long webinar was attended by former and current top Kurdistan Region and British officials, in which they recalled the difficult situation the Kurds experienced in 1991 as they were fleeing Saddam Husseins’ forces, and the efforts the international partners put in preventing further tragedies.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani headlined the virtual talk along with Sir John Major, the former British leader. Barzani touched upon the historic relationship between the Kurdistan Region and the United Kingdom, particularly after 1991.

“The [1991] intervention set us on a course to shape our destiny ... and laid the foundation for a lasting partnership,” Barzani said, highlighting the Region’s current status as a safe haven for refugees and displaced minority groups from Iraq and Syria.

“Our journey has not ended. There is a lot we need to do together. We still need your support," the premier said.

Major was prime minister at the time of Saddam’s oppression after the Kurdish uprising and played a crucial role in securing a safe haven for the fleeing Kurds. He said Thursday, “I believe Kurds should be enormously proud of what they have collectively managed to achieve” since the UN Security Council resolution that called for their protection and ultimately led to the creation of the autonomous Kurdish Region.

Last week the Kurdistan Region’s authorities renamed a main street in the capital Erbil after Major, paying tribute to his role in protecting the vulnerable Kurdish people.

“I'd like to say to my friends in Kurdistan that I'm truly flattered by this generous gesture and ... hope to see that road in person,” Major said in the talk.

In addition to focusing on the historical events, the officials also shed light on the current state of affairs in the Kurdistan Region-UK relationships in all sectors, including education and military and judicial training.

The Kurdish officials openly showed their appreciation to the UK for its help for the Kurds both past and present. Their British counterparts pledged to visit Kurdistan after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was a British journalist who brought back the news to us that Sir John Major had secured the safe haven,” premier Barzani said concluding the webinar, adding that the street named for him would help inform the younger generation about the part he played in Kurdistan.

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly