Shafaq News/ The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, commemorated the 1991 Uprising on its 31st anniversary, as a landmark in the battle for autonomy and a tribute for the Peshmerga sacrifices.

In a statement he issued earlier today, Saturday, President Barzani extended "congratulations to the proud families of our fallen heroes, the brave Peshmarga, and all the people of Kurdistan in the country and abroad." 

"The Uprising demonstrated the will, the conviction and the strong determination of the people of Kurdistan in pursuit of a better future with dignity and freedom, rejecting oppression and tyranny," he said, "It was the outcome of the struggle and sacrifices of the Peshmarga and the people of Kurdistan who rose up, as it was the result of the unity among all political parties and communities across the country." 

"The Uprising was the gateway for the people of Kurdistan to enter a new era of self rule, and founding the lawful and formal institutions of the Kurdistan Region, which were effectively enshrined in the constitution and recognized by the outside world." 

The President said that "preserving freedom  the achievements of the Uprising, and the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region are the collective responsibility of all the people of Kurdistan" and "a tribute to the sacrifices of the fallen heroes of freedom." 

"Let us work together for the noble objectives which the fallen heroes of the Uprising and all the martyrs of Kurdistan sacrificed their lives for," he continued, "as we reiterate our commitment to the objectives of the Uprising, we look forward to a better future with optimism and conviction, and salute the fallen heroes of the Uprising and all the martyrs of Kurdistan."