The Canadian MP pointed to his country’s strong economy and the rights and freedoms its people enjoy and said Kurdistan would benefit greatly by working with Ottawa to apply some of those best practices within the KRG.
“It’s very important to work with countries like Canada as you create more security and grow your economy and create more stability in that area,” Johns stated.
Global Security
The MP recalled Canada’s security ties with the Kurdistan Region, emphasizing the need for such relations to continue to ensure international security.
Canada’s partnership with Kurdistan is “important for global security,” Johns explained. “I think security in Kurdistan is important to global security, so the success of the president in the region in creating peace and security in that region is very important to everybody.”
Since the emergence of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Canada has provided training and support to the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces as they effectively defeated the terror group.
Aside from the military aspect, Johns said security in the Kurdistan Region should also extend to the economic and social infrastructure to ensure “people get the support they need.”
“Look at countries like Canada and our healthcare system, our policing system, our judiciary; [these] are all very important models that could be applied in an area like Kurdistan to give you the security that you need.”
Planned Visit to Kurdistan
Johns also serves as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Parliamentary Friends of the Kurds, an all-parties caucus dedicated to cultivating dialogue and forming stronger parliamentary ties with the KRG.
He told Kurdistan 24 the all-party group has plans to send a delegation to the Kurdistan Region in 2020.