Nechirvan Barzani congratulates Schulz on becoming new German chancellor

Mustafa Shilani 2021/12/08 21:46

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz takes the oath from President of the Bundestag in Berlin, Dec. 8, 2021. (AFP)

Kurdistan Kurdistan Germany Elections Europe Berlin

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday congratulated Olaf Scholz on his new position as Germany's chancellor and expressed his hope for strengthening the relationship between the two governments.

Earlier in the day, the German parliament elected Socialist Olaf Scholz to succeed Angela Merkel, who held the position for 16 years. Scholz is heading a coalition government between the Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats.

The President of the Kurdistan Region wrote on his Twitter account, "I congratulate Mr. Olaf Scholz on assuming his duties as the new Chancellor of Germany and for his cabinet, and I wish them success."

Barzani thanked Germany “for its support and assistance to the Kurdistan Region, and we look forward to working together to enhance relations and joint cooperation."

Germany also just appointed Reem Alabali-Radovan, a 31-year old Iraqi Christian as its Minister of State for Migration, Refugees and Integration.

Alabali-Radovan was born in Moscow in 1990 and is a parliament member for the Social Democratic Party. Her parents moved to Germany in 1996 and applied for asylum and German citizenship. She studied at the Free University of Berlin and previously worked in the German government as an integration officer.

Der Tagesspiegel ("The Daily Mirror"), a German daily newspaper, reported that Alabali-Radovan's father had been a member of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces.