Kurdistan Takes Part in IDU Gathering in Brussels

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a significant diplomatic engagement, a delegation from the Kurdistan Region, representing President Masoud Barzani, participated in the 2025 Congress of the International Democracy Union (IDU), held in Brussels, Belgium. The delegation attended the event following an official invitation extended by Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada and current Chairman of the IDU.

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper served as Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister from 2006 to 2015, becoming the longest-serving Conservative leader to hold the office since Canada's founding Prime Minister in 1891. As the architect of the modern Conservative Party of Canada, Harper led the party to three consecutive national victories in 2006, 2008, and 2011.

Hemin Hawrami, a senior member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) Politburo, confirmed the visit in a statement issued on Thursday. “At the official invitation of the Rt Hon. Stephen Harper, and on behalf of President Barzani, a delegation from the Kurdistan Region participated in the 2025 congress of our fellow democratic parties in Brussels,” Hawrami announced.

The IDU congress brought together representatives from democratic parties across the globe, serving as a major forum for dialogue, policy discussion, and strategic cooperation among center-right and conservative political movements. This year’s gathering featured a series of panels, keynote speeches, and meetings aimed at addressing global democratic challenges and fostering transnational solidarity among democratic institutions.

During the visit, the Kurdistan Region delegation held a meeting with Stephen Harper, during which they delivered personal greetings and well wishes from President Barzani. “We conveyed the special greetings of President Barzani and expressed our best wishes for the success of their congress,” Hawrami added.

The 2025 IDU Forum in Brussels provided a crucial platform for uniting policymakers, senior party officials, and thought leaders across the IDU’s global membership and beyond. Designed to promote open dialogue and rigorous debate, the Forum fosters meaningful exchanges between like-minded partners committed to freedom, democracy, and free markets. It also aims to strengthen international cooperation by addressing pressing policy challenges, sharing best practices in governance, and supporting democratic movements in emerging economies.

Each year, the IDU hosts two flagship Forums: the central Forum in Washington, D.C., and a rotating regional Forum. This year’s Brussels gathering continued that tradition, welcoming high-profile figures such as H.E. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, former President of Croatia; Hon. Scott Morrison, former Prime Minister of Australia; Rt. Hon. Kemi Badenoch, UK opposition leader; H.E. Sebastian Kurz, former Chancellor of Austria; Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson, former UK Prime Minister; Manfred Weber MEP, President of the European People’s Party; Rep. Mike McCaul, Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee; David McAllister MEP, Chair of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee; Hon. Antonio Giordano MP, Secretary General of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party; and Hon. Enda Kenny, former Taoiseach of Ireland.

The participation of the Kurdistan Region in such high-profile international forums underscores the KDP’s continued engagement with global democratic networks and affirms the Region’s commitment to democratic principles and international cooperation.

The IDU, founded in 1983, is a global alliance of center-right political parties from more than 60 countries.

The presence of the Kurdish delegation at the congress reaffirms the enduring ties between the Kurdistan Region and democratic actors worldwide and highlights the KDP’s active role within this transnational political dialogue.