Iraq must not be led to repeat ‘bitter experiences’, warns PM Barzani
Despite the Kurdish attempts to establish a democratic, federal, and inclusive Iraq, the country is not leading toward the intended goals.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday warned of attempts that are leading Iraq into repeating the “bitter experiences” of the past, adding chauvinism and authoritarian rule are still a threat.
Barzani’s remarks came during a speech he delivered at a conference, dubbed Kurdistan: Cradle of Peaceful Coexistence, organized by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs in Erbil to mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech with the participation of hundreds of local officials, religious and ethnic communities leaders.
Explaining the root causes that led to genocides and atrocities committed against the Kurdish people and other members of the ethnic and religious components by former Iraqi regimes, Barzani said the denial of basic rights of the Kurdish people and chauvinistic ideas had resulted in thousands of deaths and destruction.
Despite the Kurdish attempts to establish a democratic, federal, and inclusive Iraq, the country is not leading toward the intended goals.
“It is being taken in a direction that is a repetition of the bitter experiences of the past,” he said, adding that history has not been a lesson to some.
The premier expressed his dismay at the “attempts to violate” the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional rights as well as “hate speech” against the entity.
Like so many others across Kurdistan, I was raised in a region that had mosques, churches, and synagogues in the same village.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) June 18, 2023
I'm proud of this culture of co-existence and will do my best to preserve and promote it. pic.twitter.com/WDRtgsGWCH
“The misinformation published and the misleading narrative that is spread, which portrays the development of the Kurdistan Region at the expense of other parts of Iraq, should not be the way to hide corruption and mismanagement and waste of public wealth,” he said.
Barzani recalled the times when the Region had hosted Iraqi internally displaced people as well as those fleeing from violence, political persecution, and sectarian strife from 2006 up until the fight against ISIS.
Kurdistan Region still hosts nearly a million displaced people, both internally and from neighboring Syria, according to figures from the government’s Joint Crisis Coordination Center.
The top official reiterated that the Region will continue its “beautiful culture” of coexistence, calling on the leaders of the country to prevent the spread of violence and hate speech, according to the speech.
"I'm from a village that had mosques, churches, and synagogue," he said, vowing to preserve the culture of coexistence.
“I emphasize that adhering to the Iraqi Constitution is the only guarantee of stability and the protection of the rights of all Iraqi components,” the premier said, adding the Kurdistan Region’s issues with Baghdad cannot be reduced to “salaries and finance.”
The Region has been praised on numerous occasions for the peaceful coexistence of its religious and ethnic components.
Kurdistan has always been the cradle of peaceful coexistence. pic.twitter.com/3cVAYzJxS8
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) June 18, 2023
