Rwanga President applauds Pushkin Medal honor for Kurdish scholar
Shafaq News – Erbil
Rwanga Foundation President Idris Nechirvan Barzani on Sunday praised the awarding of Russia’s Pushkin Medal to Kurdish scholar Dr. Rashad Miran as a “great honor for all of Kurdistan.”
According to the Foundation’s statement, Barzani, during a visit to congratulate Dr. Miran—the “first Kurd” to receive the honor—remarked that his academic work has elevated “Kurdish identity, history, and culture on the international stage.”
بەڕێز ادریس نێچیرڤان بارزانی سەردانی زانای دیاری کورد بەڕێز دکتۆر رەشاد میرانی کردبەڕێز ادریس نێچیرڤان بارزانی، سەردانی بەڕێز (دکتۆر رەشاد میران)ی کرد بەمەبەستی لە نزیکەوە پیرۆزبایی لێکردنی بەبۆنەی وەرگرتنی خەڵاتی نێودەوڵەتی (پووشکین) وەک یەکەمین کورد لە وڵاتی ڕووسیا.… pic.twitter.com/MnKiiRfoRQ
— Rwanga Foundation (@RwangaFdn) December 7, 2025
The Pushkin Medal, awarded by the Russian president, recognizes major contributions to culture, science, literature, and the arts by both citizens and foreign nationals.
Dr. Miran, born in 1952 in Shaqlawa, is a pioneering sociologist and expert in Kurdish anthropology who earned degrees in Baghdad and Leningrad before teaching at Salahaddin University from 1993 to 2021. His academic record includes more than 30 publications, and he has held leadership roles in the Kurdistan Sociologists Association and the Kurdish Academy.
Founded in 2013 by Barzani, Rwanga is a nonprofit organization based in the Kurdistan Region. Initially focused on improving children’s education, its work has expanded to include economic development, youth empowerment, environmental protection, and humanitarian aid. The foundation also advances climate action through local initiatives that support its environmental objectives.
