Shafaq News/ Kurdistan’s President Nechirvan Barzani opened today Tuesday a four-part series of virtual discussions at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs on “The Kurds in the Middle East.”

The seminar, which focused on the status of the Kurdish question in the Middle East, was arranged by the organization Justice for Kurds, and was attended by friends and supporters of the people of Kurdistan in the United States, Britain and France.

The seminar took place concurrently with the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 688, which imposed the No Fly Zone following the Operation Provide Comfort in 1991. The historic UN resolution effectively protected the embattled people of Kurdistan and led to the establishment of the Kurdistan Region as a constitutional entity based on the federal system within Iraq.

President Barzani was highlighted the UN 688 resolution and its outcomes. The President also highlighted a broad vision for the Kurdistan Region’s bilateral relations with the neighboring countries, the international community and the status of the people of Kurdistan for now and in the future. The resolution of the problems, the future of Kurdistan Region’s relations with the federal Iraq, partnership and cooperation in order to secure peace and stability in Iraq and the wider region were underlined.

The following is the message from President Nechirvan Barzani:

Thank you to Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, with my friends: General Petraeus, Ambassador Ford, Emma Sky, Professor Levinsohn, Ted Wittenstein and Justice for Kurds, and its founders: Thomas Kaplan and Bernard-Henri Lévy, for having organized, this friendly exchange, with our American, British, and French friends.

This month, April 2021, is of major historic significance for the Kurds and for US-Kurdistan relations. It marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 and Operation Provide Comfort.

The successful military-humanitarian intervention during which the US with France, the UK and other partners protected Iraqi Kurdistan. The operation rescued over a million of our people who were stuck at the border-mountains of Iran and Turkey. It provided a safe haven for our desperate people at that time. Many of whom died especially children and elderly due to hunger and exposure before aid arrived.

The forced no-fly zone over Kurdistan following this operation was critical to the establishment of the Kurdistan Region’s institutions and infrastructure. And in many ways today the existence of a stable peaceful and tolerant Kurdistan Region is a direct consequence of this intervention by the United States, France, Britain and other partners.

Since those April days of 1991 America has supported and stayed engaged with the Kurdistan Region most recently with the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Kurdistan is and strives to continue to be an island of peace, stability and coexistence in the troubled Middle East. We are for a mutually beneficial relationship with all our partners so that we are able to help ourselves and help others in need.

As we recognize the vital importance of helping vulnerable communities fleeing violence. The Syrian Civil War and the invasion of ISIS provoked multiple waves of displacement. At one point, our population had increased by almost 30% with nearly two million IDPs and refugees from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Yes, the people of Kurdistan do share your values and are ready to contribute positively. We have shed blood to defend life and freedom against the forces of evil. As the leader of the free world it is in the interest of the US to look beyond its border. We are pleased to see the Biden administration’s renewed engagement globally.

We welcome the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue. It is a strong commitment and an important step towards a balanced relationship.

We don’t expect the US to fight our wars; however, we do expect the US to remain engaged with us in Iraq to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS.

To achieve this objective, we need the continued commitment of the US and, its coalition partners to help our brave Peshmerga and the Iraqi Security Forces to win the war.

The establishment of the No-Fly-Zone, 30 years ago, gave us the hope and the space to set the foundations for the Kurdistan Region today as a stable and peaceful part of Iraq and a reliable ally of the US and the international community.

To consolidate this achievement, we need to maintain a long-term partnership. With your help, we were able to turn Kurdistan Region into a success story in the Middle East. With your continued engagement and support we can and will transform Kurdistan Region into a more peaceful, stable and prosperous place, which is in our mutual interest. We are and will remain committed to peace, stability, good governance and reform.

My dear friends, in America:

Our friendship and partnership were made in the mountains of Kurdistan Region in 1991, let us continue together to defend our common values and principles of dignity and openness. Let us strive to build together a more peaceful, just, free and secure world.