PM Masrour Barzani welcomes introduction of US Senate resolution praising US-Kurdistan relations
The Operation Provide Comfort “humanitarian intervention saved countless lives; gave us the protection necessary to secure our democracy; and spawned our strong, modern partnership.”
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Friday welcomed the introduction of a bipartisan US Senate resolution commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort, the US-led humanitarian operation that followed the ceasefire to the 1991 Gulf War.
The Senate resolution—which was introduced on Thursday by US senators Chris Van Hollen (D, Maryland) and Marco Rubio (R, Florida)—hailed the “important partnership between the US and Iraqi Kurdistan.”
“The humanitarian intervention saved countless lives; gave us the protection necessary to secure our democracy; and spawned our strong, modern partnership. Today Kurdistan is an oasis of stability in a region short on certainty,” Barzani stated.
“I also appreciate the seven original cosponsors in the House of Representatives: Mike Waltz, Jim Cooper, Chris Stewart, Jason Crow, Dina Titus, Andy Kim, Don Bacon for their friendship,” the premier added.
Barzani concluded that the US-Kurdish friendship “was forged through common ideals, and I look forward to working with our friends in the administration and Congress to further strengthen it.”
Read More: Background to Operation Provide Comfort
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Washington, warmly welcomed the resolution. “Kurdistan is fortunate to have bipartisan support in the US Congress, and we are grateful to the senators and representatives who have co-sponsored this resolution,” she told Kurdistan 24.
Though the US aimed to limit Operation Provide Comfort to addressing the humanitarian crisis, it led to the creation of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq—with which the White House now considers itself to be in “a true strategic partnership.”
Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and, until 2017, the long-time President of the Kurdistan Region, in April during a seminar marking the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort (OPC) hailed OPC as the start of the Kurdistan Region’s current political system.
Nevertheless, he warned that “significant dangers” still exist, and, therefore, so does the need for the Western countries that now help protect the Kurdistan Region to continue that effort.
Read More: Masoud Barzani hails Operation Provide Comfort, even as he warns of current dangers
