On November 22, the fifth MEPS24 Conference was held at the American University of Kurdistan in the city of Duhok. The conference took place under the auspices of President Masoud Barzani, the President of Iraq, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, and a large number of political figures, academics, researchers, and scholars from North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
During the conference, Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, delivered a speech in which he expressed his hope for the conference to continue annually and for its discussions to inform decision-making in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the broader region.
Here is the text of his speech:
In the name of God, the Most Gracious and Most Merciful,
Our leader and guide, President Barzani,
Esteemed Dr. Latif Rashid, President of the Federal Republic of Iraq,
Honorable Mahmoud Mashhadani, Speaker of the Federal Government’s Council of Representatives,
Distinguished guests, including former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu,
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi,
Respected diplomats, academics, and honored attendees,
Welcome to this fifth MEPS conference at the American University in the beautiful city of Duhok. I hope that the discussions and decisions arising from this two-day conference will be accessible to decision-makers in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the region, bringing benefit and progress.
This is the fifth time this conference has been held in Duhok, facilitated by the American University. I commend the organizers and hope we can continue to build on this success annually, improving it each year.
I also wish to express my appreciation for the American University for hosting this event and for achieving an international milestone within less than ten years by earning NEASC accreditation. This is a significant accomplishment for a university only a decade old.
Additionally, I extend my gratitude to the people of Kurdistan for successfully holding elections in a region often fraught with challenges. I hope this conference and its outcomes will serve all Iraqis and that we can collectively benefit from its contributions.
original article (in Kurdish)
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