yes we have lived along side each other for decades and what has killing done for us so far ? noting , the best thing is to sit down and sort things via dialog and peace only. and since the economical ties between the 2 has grown look how much better things are turning out, turkey is easing on the kurds and kurds getting along with turkmen in kerkuk. Iraqi kurdistan will eventually gain independence , but with turkey joining EU i think north kurdistan might want to stick to unity with an autonomy similar to what Iraqi Kurdistan currently enjoys. lets make the relationship at its best by means of peace , listen to what kurds want you will both end up happy in the end.
KRG.org 17:01:30 27 Apr. 2011 Erbil, Kurdistan Iraq (KRG.org) President Masoud Barzani last Wednesday met US Congressman Robert Filner of the Democratic Party and British Member of Parliament Nadhim Zahawi of the Conservative Party in separate meetings. The President discussed the general political and security situation in the Kurdistan Region and in Iraq as a whole during each of his meetings with the visiting officials. President Barzani thanked Congressman Filner for the United States role in liberating Iraq from dictatorial rule and spoke of the suffering that the Kurdish people have endured in order to bring this freedom about. The United States has great respect for the Kurdistan Region, the congressman said, and he continued saying that the regions prospects are very promising. Both sides also exchanged views about the future situation in Iraq once the US withdraws its forces from the country later this year. Mr Zahawi greeted President Barzani on behalf of UK Prime Minister David Cameron and the Foreign Secretary William Hague. The president and Mr Zahawi discussed ways to better enhance the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Kurdistan Region by utilizing the UK Consulate General in Erbil to promote more scholarship and training programs as well as continued business and investment initiatives in the region. Mr Zahawi, who is the first ever British MP of Kurdish origin, expressed his admiration for the progress that has been achieved in the region so far and said, The United Kingdom supports the democratic process in the Kurdistan Region and in all of Iraq. President Barzani thanked Mr Zahawi for his visit and asked that he return the presidents greeting to Prime Minister Cameron and Foreign Secretary Hague. The British parliamentarian also met Prime Minister Barham Salih to discuss the latest political developments in the region. Congressman Filner met the KRG Speaker of Parliament Kamal Kirkuki, and both he and Mr Zahawi attended separate meetings with the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations Falah Mustafa Bakir while visiting the region. Mr Bakir and Congressman Filner discussed the long relationship between the Kurdistan Region and the United States, and they talked about the planned upgrading of the US embassy office in Erbil to a full consulate. Mr Bakir said, It is our hope that the US will play a key role in assisting the continued development of the democratic system and help Iraqis to maintain the security situation in all parts of Iraq as they had an active role in its liberation. Congressman Filner responded that he hoped a delegation of officials from the KRG could come to the US in order to inform the US government on the latest developments and to clarify some aspects of security and stability in the region. In his meeting with Mr Bakir, British Parliamentarian Zahawi commented on the helpfulness of the reports that the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Kurdistan Region (APPG) periodically compile saying, These reports are a real and honest evaluation of the situation in the Kurdistan Region. He and Mr Bakir also discussed the planned reforms that the Kurdistan Regional Government has recently been submitted to parliament. Mr Bakir spoke of the importance of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Kurdistan Region and expressed his hope that the UK would have an active role in continuing to develop mutual ties in culture, trade and investment. http://www.krg.org/articles/detail.asp?lngnr=12&smap=02010100&rnr=223&anr=39772
PNA-The parliament of Kurdistan region approved on Monday two draft laws, a lawmaker said, noting that the parliament's chairmanship adjourned the session until Tuesday to complete other bills. "Tomorrow's session will witness discussing the region's security department draft law," Ahmad Rawti told news agency. Regarding discussing the 2011 draft budget, the parliamentarian said the chairmanship will discuss it in the coming sessions after receiving the final report from the financial commission. http://www.peyamner.com/details.aspx?l=4&id=232649
A new law in Iraqi Kurdistan hopes to separate worthwhile NGOs from those who simply provide an excuse for recreation and a venue for drinking tea. Once when young Kurdish men wanted to relax, to drink tea and to enjoy themselves in a clubhouse of their own, they would establish a non-governmental organization, or NGO. Once the organization was licensed, the Ministry of the Interior in the semi-autonomous state of Iraqi Kurdistan would then give the NGO some money, most of which would go towards renting the premises. Of course, the Ministry of the Interior did not treat all NGOs equally. Some would get IQD 1 million (around US$850) while others might be given as much as IQD 20 million (around US$17,000). And usually this was not because they were particularly good at what they did; it was just that the fortunate ones had closer ties to a political party or to government ministers than others. However on April 6, the parliament in Iraqi Kurdistan approved the draft of a law that might make life for some NGOs a little more difficult. The law, which went into effect on May 1, says that only NGOs with a reasonable proposal or project will now receive state funding. There are an estimated 1,300 NGOs in Iraqi Kurdistan and up until this month, 500 of these received funding from the state government. But from next month the Iraqi Kurdish government will cut funding for all NGOs, except those that are visibly active on state-approved projects. In Iraqi Kurdistan, NGOs considered active have often complained about contemporaries that appear to exist in name only, and without any real goals. The former consider the latter a threat to the good reputation of every NGO in the region. Hemin Saleh, the head of an NGO called Communication for Democracy and Human Rights, believes the draft law is a positive signal because it will eventually show which NGOs are active and which are not. "Many NGOs are just places for drinking tea, Saleh agreed. They take some money from the government for rent and they use their office for relaxation. Many of the NGOs that dont get official cash might receive funding through other channels quite often these are also political in nature but not state sanctioned. However Saleh thought that: Political parties will stop funding inactive NGOs. They are already under a lot of pressure not to [support inactive NGOs] because it endangers the partys good reputation. Sirwan Abbas Qadir, head of the Future Centre for Youth Issues, a volunteer organization based in Erbil city dedicated to encouraging democratic debate among youth in Iraqi Kurdistan, said that the new law will actually make it easier to establish an NGO. In the past a group would need to wait for a license from the Ministry of the Interior. The licensing process could take up to a year. "Basically this was based on the mood of those in the Interior Ministry. If they did not want an NGO to be established, they would complicate things, Qasir explained. The new law means that an NGO need only register its name and it can begin working. Whether or not it receives state funding will depend on its proposed activities. In 2010 the Future Centre for Youth Issues held a conference and established a working group to look at the proposed NGO law in detail. They favoured state funding based upon proposed projects and advised that ministerial licensing be changed to a simple registration process. Another recommendation was that an independent commission be established to review proposals from, and work by, local NGOs. The independent commission would be supervised by the Iraqi Kurdish parliament. However the new law opts instead for a parliamentary committee to oversee NGOs work. While Qadir said he still preferred a wholly independent commission, he said that a parliamentary committee would be satisfactory because it would ensure that all interest groups were represented. Meanwhile members of other NGOs expressed concern about potential cuts in regular state funding. Hemin Malazada, the head of the Organization for Patriotism Issues, which conducts surveys on national issues, said he believed the new law was constructive. Nonetheless he was worried that if his organization did not get regular money as opposed to funding per project it would be unable to pay rent on the property it used. "Some NGOs will start thinking about finding an alternative - such as asking for help from European countries or the US. I dont believe this is good for the Kurdistan region in a political sense, he explained. Presently it seems likely that when the law does go into effect many NGOs in Iraqi Kurdistan will be forced to shut down. Additionally establishing an NGO is unlikely to be as attractive a prospect as it has been previously. http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2011/5/state5058.htm
PUKmedia 2011-05-03 20:33:38 KRG Prime Minister Barham Salih met on Tuesday with US ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey and his accompanying delegation in his office in Erbil. The two sides discussed the recent political developments in Iraq and Kurdistan region, attaching importance to strengthen bilateral relations between Kurdistan region and the US. They also discussed the assistance offered by the US to the Kurdistan region as it has benefited from the US expertise in various aspects. KRG Prime Minister said his cabinet was committed to speed up the process of reform in a move to improve public service projects and provide more opportunities for economic growth in Kurdistan region. http://www.pukmedia.com/english/ind...nt-ties-&catid=29:kurdistan-region&Itemid=385
PNA-Hungary is planning to open a consulate in Erbil and an embassy in Baghdad , Hungarian Foreign Ministrys Undersecretary, now on a visit to northern Iraqs Kurdistan Region said in a meeting in Erbil on Sunday with the Regions President, Massoud Barzani. "Persident Barzani has met on Sunday at his Salahadin Resort north of Erbil the Hungarian Foreign Ministrys Undersecretary, Jafor Hovary and his accompanying delegation, a Kurdistan Presidency statement reported, adding that both sides have discussed the joint bilateral relations and means for their development. The statement quoted the Hungarian official as having expressed his governments willingness to open an embassy in Baghdad and a general consulate in Arbil, as part of its wish to develop and boost bilateral relations in all fields, especially the electricity and energy fields. Persident Barzani, the statement, added had expressed the Kurdistan Regions wish to develop joint relations with Hungary, expressing the Regions readiness to support and facilitate the activity of the Hungarian companies to contribute in the development process in the Region. http://www.peyamner.com/details.aspx?l=4&id=232648
PUKmedia 2011-05-07 18:05:07 Struan Stevenson, Member of the European Parliament, said the security situation of Kurdistan region is completely different from that of Iraq, describing it as a very secure area. Speaking in an interview with European Parliament Website following his recent visit to Iraq, he discussed the outcomes of his visit to the country where he met with top Iraqi officials including Iraqi president Jalal Talabani. In discussing the economic condition of Kurdistan region, he said the economy grows 10 percent a year in the region. However, he touched on certain problems facing the Kurdistan region such as the arrival of a large number of Iraqi Christians who fled for safety to Kurdistan from other parts of Iraq, urging the EU to help Kurdistan regions authorities to provide sufficient assistance to those internally displaced people. http://www.pukmedia.com/english/ind...-secure-&catid=29:kurdistan-region&Itemid=385
PUKmedia 2011-05-07 17:04:22 Kirkuk Governor, Najmadin Karim, received on Saturday British Consul General in Erbil, Chris Bowers, and his accompanying delegation in his office in Kirkuk. The delegates congratulated Najmadin Karim on his new post as Kirkuk governor. The two sides discussed the security situation in the city and the ways to protect it, also they talked about preparations for the Kirkuks election. They attached importance to strengthen ties among religious and ethnic components in Kirkuk province. http://www.pukmedia.com/english/ind...n-erbil-&catid=29:kurdistan-region&Itemid=385
PUKmedia 2011-05-08 21:07:56 KRG prime minister met Sunday with a delegation of the US Congress led by John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham in his office in Erbil. During the meeting, attended by the US ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey and the commander of the US forces in Iraq, the two sides discussed the political developments in Iraq and Kurdistan region. They exchanged views on ways to strengthen bilateral relations between Kurdistan region and the US. The US delegates expressed their delightment with the progress taking place in the Kurdistan region. The possibility of the US assistance to Iraq after the US troop withdrawal from Iraq was also discussed during the meeting. http://www.pukmedia.com/english/ind...legation&catid=29:kurdistan-region&Itemid=385
17/02/2011 10:45 Erbil, Feb.17 (AKnews)- Contracts for investigating and designing the Tram Way project in the Kurdistan Region, northern Iraq, was signed Wednesday. grebastThe website of the Kurdistan Ministry of Transportation and Communications cited Umed Mohammed, the spokesman for the ministry saying that the Kurdistan Tram Way project entered its first phase of execution Wednesday by signing contracts with three international designing companies. The Italian Tecnopolo F.G. will sketch the design for the 60 km route in Erbil City (Kurdistan Region Capital) with 2,559,303,700 Iraqi Dinars (IQD) - almost 2,177,204 U.S. Dollars. The Romanian Terra Nova will design the 50 km tram Way in Sulaimaniya with 2,600,000,000 IQD- nearly $ 2,211,824. The contract with the Italian S.G.I Company for designing the 40 km route in Dohuk stood at 2,800,000,000 IQD, nearly $2,381,965. Reported by Dawan Hadi Lh/AKnews http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/2/218772/
An American Boy, Living in Kurdistan. Listen to his poem, quite nice! He sais "oil, mountain, desert what every you say, it's all here in Kurdistan here to stay, this isn't Europe or America and that's why I love it here, Kurdistans the name. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ7JIqHBDoE"]YouTube - An American Boy, Living in Iraq[/ame]
a local Kurdish newspaper Kurdish Globe talks about agencies that teach Kurdish to those Arabs and Christians coming to Kurdistan to learn Kurdish so they can find jobs .
PUKmedia 15-05-2011 11:29:34 A joint delegation from Switzerland and Finland, visited Kurdistan Region on Saturday , to closely see the political situations here. The delegation visited the KRG Foreign Affairs Office and was received by Falah Mustafa, the Head of the Office. They discussed , during the meeting , the relations between Kurdistan Region , Switzerland and Finland , the current situation in the Kurdistani arena in addition to the ties between Erbil, Baghdad and the neighboring countries. Mr. Mustafa said that Kurdistan Regions relations with the Federal Government are normal, and the Kurdish Leadership here is looking forward to find solutions to the outstanding issues via dialogue and commit to items of the Iraqi Constitution as Article 140, the issues of Peshmerga , Budget and the Oil- Gas law. The delegation commended the security stability and the progress and development in Kurdistan Region. http://www.pukmedia.com/english/ind...n-region&catid=29:kurdistan-region&Itemid=385
In 1922, the area that included modern Jordan was established called the Emirate of Transjordan. (It was semi-autonomous.) In 1946 on May 25th it became the independent Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. this is quite similar to KRG , KRG has been autonomous since 1991 so its now 20 years since it has gained autonomous and according to all the date and analysis KRG will be come independent in 2015 (only missing a seat in UN).
ARBIL / Aswat al-Iraq: The Parliament of northern Iraqs Kurdistan Region has approved on Tuesday the Regions 2011 general budget of 13 trillions (t) and 940 billion (b) Iraqi dinars (US$12 billions and 478 millions approx.), a Kurdistan Legislature said. The Kurdistan Parliament has approved today (Tuesday) the Regions 2011 Budget, with a 68 majority votes, compared with 25 votes, Aso Karim told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He said the Parliament had also approved the deduction of 10% of the salaries of the Iraqi Kurdistan Presidencies, i.e. the President, the Prime Minister and the Parliament Speaker, as well as their deputies, ministers, MPs, and other leading officials. Noteworthy is that the Kurdistan Parliament had held its first session to discuss the Regions new budget on 16/5/2011, passed by the its Council of Ministers on Feb. 27 last, estimated at 13 trillions (t) and 940 billion (b) Iraqi dinars. SKH (IT) http://en.aswataliraq.info/Default.aspx?page=article_page&c=slideshow&id=142866
this is really good news 30/05/2011 10:15 Karmyan, May 30 (AKnews) The Kurdish flag will be raised for the first time at the busy Mundhiriya Iraq-Iran border crossing in Diyala, part of the territories disputed between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), said a border official on Monday.kurdistan flag Khaled Suleiman told AKnews that the order to raise the Kurdish flag came from the local council. The Municipal Council of Khanaqin asked us today to raise the flag of Kurdistan at this border crossing, and this request will be conformed to, he said. A Diyala provincial council member from the Kurdistan Blocs Coalition (KBC), Nisreen Bhagat, told AKnews that raising the flag breaches neither regional nor federal laws. I have discussed the question of raising the Kurdistan flag with the Municipal Council of Khanaqin and this is not contrary to the constitution, he assured. Tens of thousands of Iranian Shia pilgrims pass through the Mundhiriya crossing each year to Khanaqin, on their war to the holy Shia shrines in Karbala and Najaf. With a predominantly Kurdish population of around 170,000, Khanaqin, 155 km northeast of Diyala capital Baquba and close to the Kurdistan border, has been governed by the KRG since the toppling of the Saddam regime in 2003 although it remains the subject of territorial disputes with Baghdad. Reported by Biryar Mouhammed Rn/Ka/AKnews http://aknews.com/en/aknews/3/243530/
www.Peyamner.com - Erbil June 17 2011 (PNA) Prime Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government, Barham Salih, visited the members of regions economic council on Thursday June 16. To serve civilians interests in the region, Dr. Salih at the beginning of the meeting emphasized on the importance of this kind of gathering, pointed out the benefit of listen to various recommendations that leads to economic improvement. The meeting has been hold with the participant of KRG Acting Deputy Prime Minister Kareem Shingali.
Well, I haven't read all the posts here yet but I am going to tell you honestly what I think about the Kurdish independence. The Turkish people had been taught by the mass media and other state controlled sources that a possible Kurdish state would solely mean a destruction of Turkish state, hence the demolition of the future of Turkish people, without giving a chance to a peaceful coexistence of Turkish and Kurdish people. So the word Kurdistan would only mean a terrible attempt to destroy the Turkish people. Those ideas had been quite popular in Turkey in the 90's. But now I guess many things changed. They had to changed anyway. We are now living the era of Youtube, Facebook, twitter, forums etc, things by which we can directly contact with so called "enemies" of the state, and exchange ideas, discuss problems, learn many new things that politicians haven't told us on purpose! My thought on the issue has dramatically changed after all the conversation I got involved on the Internet for years. First and foremost I unquestionably respect the right of self determination. So If the Kurds in Turkey want autonomy, they should get it, If Kurds want their own state, being an ethnic Turk born and raised in Istanbul, I am okay with that, too! I get also shocked when people say here that Turkey is an undemocratic and fascist state in the Middle east. Believe me, as a person who can be quite honest and critical to his own country, I think Turkey is the most democratic and developed country in the region, and Turkish people are the only open society.
well my dear Turkish friend this thread is about South kurdistan not North kurdistan , that's for you guys to sort out in peaceful ways , Kurds in South kurdistan are already semi-state and we are working ONLY towards full state. thanks for visiting.
