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German Left Party congratulates Kurdistan Region on new government

German Left Party congratulates Kurdistan Region on new government
German Left Party congratulates Kurdistan Region on new government

2019-07-10 00:00:00 - Source: kurdistan 24

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The German Left Party on Wednesday congratulated the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on the formation of a new government and called on Germany to support the newly-formed KRG cabinet.

“The new governing coalition of KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party], PUK [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan], and Gorran opens up new opportunities for democratic progress in the Middle East region,” MP Helin Evrim Sommer, a spokesperson for The Left Party parliamentary group, said in a statement.

“The German federal government needs to recognize and support the KRG as a stabilizing ally,” Sommer added.

The MP pointed to the economic and social crisis the Kurdistan Region suffered for five years due to the fight against the so-called Islamic State, a lack of budget payments by the Iraqi government, and a global fall in oil prices.

Sommer also mentioned the “trauma” the people of the Kurdistan Region endured in October 2017 when Iraqi forces and the Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militias ousted Kurdish forces in Kirkuk and other disputed areas in response to the historic independence referendum a month earlier.

“On view of the persistent collapse of state orders in the Middle East, Erbil’s diplomatic steadfastness proves once more—the Kurds are still the most important stability factor in the region,” she added.

In June, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she opposes the creation of an independent Kurdish state, but supports the “territorial integrity of Iraq.”

“Instead of pointing out the so-called dangers of an independent Kurdish state, the Federal Government [in Germany] should support the democratic aspirations of the KRG with a policy of balance and mediation,” Sommer affirmed.

The MP noted that the KRG needs more support to cope with the level of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Kurdistan Region.

Although their areas have been liberated from the Islamic State, about 1.5 million IDPs and refugees continue to stay in the Kurdish region due to a lack of security and basic services in their hometowns.

“In order to cope with the ongoing, catastrophic conditions in the Kurdish refugee camps, humanitarian aid must also be further developed,” Sommer said.

“The Federal Government [in Germany] must finally recognize the Kurds as a stabilizing actor in the region and treat them accordingly.”

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany





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