Albright holds ‘special place’ in Kurdish history, says President Nechirvan Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said on Thursday that the former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright holds a “special place” in Kurdistan’s history, as she played a major role in ending the intra-Kurdish fighting of the 1990s. 

My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She holds a special place in Kurdistan history as she played an important role in ceasing internal fighting in 1990s. May she rest in peace.

— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) March 24, 2022

Ms. Albright died at the age of 84 due to cancer, her family announced in a statement on Wednesday. 

“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright,” President Nechirvan Barzani tweeted, saying that she holds a “special place” in Kurdish history for the role she played in bringing the civil war to an end.

Earlier, the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also extended his condolences to Albright’s family, saying she closed a “bitter chapter” in Kurdistan.

Through the mediation and guidance of Ms. Albright, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani and the late leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Jalal Talabani, arrived at a peace agreement that brought an end to the bloody civil strife.

Before becoming the first female US Secretary of State, Albright served as the country’s representative to the United Nations.

Born in 1937 in Czechoslovakia, she immigrated to the United States in 1948 with her family.