On 11 December 2015, all parties of the Austrian Parliament approved a resolution on the sufficient humanitarian provision and restoration of security in Shingal (Sinjar) and Kobane. The resolution was submitted by the members of parliament (MP) Mag. Aygül Berivan Aslan (Green Party), Mag. Andreas Schieder (SPÖ) and Dr. Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP). These MPs, together with Mag. Gernot Darmann (FPÖ), had visited the Kurdistan Region-Iraq mid-November, in order to experience first-hand the local situation.
Following, the text of the resolution:
“The Federal Government, especially the Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, are asked, utilizing the framework of the United Nations, mainly OCHA and UNDP, the European Union and other international organizations, as well as bilateral contacts with the states in the region, to put all efforts into guaranteeing to the civilian population in the affected regions, especially to minorities such as Kurds, Yezidis, and Christians, the necessary protection from, among others, mines and booby traps and to provide sufficient humanitarian aid.”
According to Dr. Ramazan Mustafa, Representative of the Kurdistan Region Government in Austria, “The approval of the resolution highlights the importance of the recent parliamentarian delegation visit to Kurdistan. Moreover, it is an important and symbolic sign of the international solidarity for the reconstruction of Sinjar.” The devastated town, which is mainly inhabited by Yezidis, was captured by ISIS last year, leading to the displacement, kidnapping, or killing of countless Yezidis.