Le nouveau président de la Région du Kurdistan, élu par le Parlement du Kurdistan, a pris ses fonctions le lundi 11 juin 2019 après une cérémonie d'investiture retransmise en direct à la télévision kurde.

Plus de 1200 personnalités, ont assisté à cette cérémonie présidée par la présidente du Parlement, Mme Valla Farid IBRAHIM. Outre les parlementaires kurdes de tous bords, des délégations des partis politiques kurdes d'Irak, d'Iran, de Turquie et de Syrie, des personnalités de la diaspora kurde d'Europe, d'Asie Centrale et des États-Unis ont également fait le déplacement pour participer à ce rare moment d'unité nationale kurde. Signe du nouveau climat de dialogue et de détente entre Erbil et Bagdad, de hauts dirigeants irakiens, dont le président de la République Berhem Saleh, le président du Parlement irakien, plusieurs ministres, des députés et des chefs des partis chiites, sont venus assister à la cérémonie. Dans un discours remarqué, fédérateur et conciliateur le président irakien a fait l'éloge du président sortant Massoud Barzani qui a consacré plus d'un demi-siècle de sa vie de combat au service de la cause kurde et  il a appelé à l'unité kurde pour bâtir un Kurdistan paisible, démocratique et prospère dans un Irak fédéral, démocratique et fort.

Une trentaine de pays étaient représentés à cette cérémonie par leurs ambassadeurs, chargés d'affaires et/ou consuls généraux. La Turquie avait dépêché son ministre des Affaires étrangères, M. Mevlut Çavusoglu.

Au terme de la cérémonie le président Nechirvan Barzani a  prononcé en kurde un discours exposant  les grandes orientations de sa présidence dont voici une traduction officielle en anglais.

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Mr President Barzani,

Mr president Dr Barham Salih, the president of federal Iraq,

Mr Mohammed Halbusi, the speaker of Iraqi parliament,

Mr Mawlud Chawesh Oghlu, the foriegn minister of Turkey,

Mr Thamir Suhban, the State Minister for Gulf Affairs,

Mrs Speaker of Kurdistan parliament

Ladies and gentlemen of ambassadors of countries in Iraq

Diplomats, leaders, politicians and political parties,

Guests and dear attendees from Iraq, Kurdistan, and anywhere who have taken the effort to come here,

Dear citizens of Kurdistan Region and Iraq,

Good day and welcome everyone.

It is our pleasure that you are all here to take part with us in this ceremony.

Mrs speaker of Kurdistan parliament, parliament members, representatives of the people of Kurdistan representing all colours and viewpoints of the people of Kurdistan:

I thank you, the representative of people, who have elected me as the future four-year president of Kurdistan Region. I thank all, who have voted for me, not voted for me and those who didn't attend parliament on the voting day. I thank all of you.

Each of you, through your own will representing the electorate and through the recommendation of the party you represent, has practised the democratic right and duty. At this time, the biggest achievement is the continuation of the democratic process in Kurdistan Region. Thanks for giving me the confidence.

On a day like today and during the preparation for this new task, we remember many nice and sad events. Some events happened long time ago, but they are entrenched in our sense of humanity. They cannot be easily forgotten. We will forget them, we can learn from them.

Some of the events are not very recent; yet, their pleasent and sad impacts affect us on a daily basis. The most terrible new event has been the barbaric attack of ISIS on many cities, towns, villages of Kurdistan Region and Iraq. The form of killing by ISIS terrorists has been unprecedented and has shocked us all, it rocked the world.

Many people didn't expect such kind of barbarity. Many people didn't believe such a dark force would commit all those atrocities and crimes in the twenty-first century. It seemed that the terrorists were successful for a short time in their aim for terrorizing the world.

His Excellency President Barzani played an important and main role in confronting ISIS terrorists and defeating their dark dreams of destruction. His Excellency took part directly in protecting and defending the people of Kurdistan will all his abilities.

He put his vigilance, continuous efforts at the frontlines with the brave Peshmerga, patience, determination, experience of being a Peshmerga from the age of (16) until today into service to defend and protect life and humanity of Kurdistan Region, Iraq and the world.

At that difficult phase, apart from having a decisive military role and raising the morale and the belief of Peshmerga at the frontlines, President Barzani took the people of Kurdistan, who were facing real threat and danger, to the coast of safety through his nearly (60) year experience of struggle and effort in revolution, leadership and leading revolutions, and wisdom and experience.

Today's ceremony which is a democratic process is the product of struggle, effort and determination of president Barzani and the struggle of our people. This is their struggle towards democratizing the Kurdistan Region.

After the uprising, president Barzani was the first who asked for holding elections in a rally in Koya in April of 1991 to run Kurdistan and so that the people of Kurdistan would elect their own representatives through a democratic process. The history of president Barzani's struggle and effort will inspire our right steps for the future.

The Peshmerga, with the help of International Coalition led by USA along with the Iraqi forces of the army and PMF, have been successful in liberating the occupied areas and the enslaved and persecuted people under ISIS. We all have paid great sacrifices for the sake of freedom, liberty, the right to live, homeland and our people.

Our regards to the souls of martyrs and their proud families, and we hope for a swift recovery for the wounded. Our regards to the Peshmerga, Iraqi forces including the army and the PMF and the other forces who have played their historical role during the critical period of Kurdistan Region, Iraq and the world. Our defence was the defence for humanity, the right to live and freedom.

The Coalition of countries against ISIS has played an effective and courageous role in helping and supervising Peshmerga for putting an end the power of ISIS terrorists. Our thanks go to the governments and the armed forces of the International Coalition led by the USA and all the other countries of the region and the world that have helped and guaranteed the hope of life, peace and liberty in Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

The Peshmerga has proved as always that it can protect the country. We try at the future phases to reorganize, strengthen and achieve the constitutional rights and dues of the Peshmerga as part of the defence system of Iraq. We thank the Coalition forces who have helped and supported us in this regard.

Respected attendees,

Kurdistan Region as a constitutional federal region of Iraq has proved a visible and an effective part of the region and international community. It has also a remarkable role in protecting the stability and the balance of economy and politics of the region. All the political, economic, cultural and social developments of the region and the world affect Kurdistan Region directly.

Therefore, the future phases require Kurdistan Region to develop more cooperation, coordination and more development of relations with Iraq, countries of the region and our friends in the world. Therefore, we want to extend our hands for this purpose to help, coordinate and conduct mutual work with all.

We go through a critical period of political and social differences at the global level and in many countries. Our society, like any other society of humanity, requests liberty, freedom, social development and prosperity. At the same time, like many other peoples, we are not free from political, social, economic and ideological conflicts.

At our internal level of Kurdistan Region, we often focus more on challenges and disagreements more than necessary. Let's have more agreement, unity and consensus at all social and political levels.

I don't think this is an impossible request for the political parties of Kurdistan Region. I don't think there is not anyone who doesn't wish for unity, agreement and consensus and put aside our differences of views.

I know the challenges and differences remain, this is something normal, but I ask for our thinking to not be about disagreement, disunity and non-consensus. Instead of undermining the positions of each other, let's put our thinking, behaviour and actions together constructively in order to seek common solutions and a common future.

Let's let the homeland put us together, let's let the representatives of all components of Kurdistan Region from different parties take part in the reconstruction and strengthening our movement towards the future.

My demand and request as the president of Kurdistan Region for the next years is working together to achieve hopes greater than personal hopes and the hopes of each political party.

Let's identify our common direction together. Together with Iraq, our neighbours, our friends in the International Community and international organizations, let's protect the new and appropriate contemporary situation compatible with our society in Kurdistan Region, our life and our homeland.

I have no doubt that we don't direverge when we lay out the new joint roadmap for Kurdistan Region and Iraq. It will be clear for all of us what directions we will take and what will be necessary to reach our joint goal.

We need to work together with the federal government in Baghdad to find joint solutions within the federal and constitutional framework of Iraq; a constitution that the people of Iraq has dreamed of for years so that it would become a new basis for a new Iraq in which the rights of Kurdistan Region and all the other components would be protected within the framework of federal democratic governance, and a constitution that a fourth of people have voted for.

The federal constitution becomes the guarantor of coexistence, understanding, mutual acceptance and strengthening the political process in Iraq through the implementation of all its articles and paragraphs.

We had hope in the constitution, but unfortunately it could not be implemented as it was. The new Iraq could not be built as it was the dream of all the people of Iraq; the new Iraq that Kurdistan Region had an active role and participation to defend it and build all its institutions on.

There is no other alternative in Iraq other than the constitution. We know by experience now that neglecting the constitution intentionally and unintentionally or not implementing any article of the constitution will lead to dissent, disunity and non-consensus within the components of Iraq.

We can bring life to the constitution again through understanding and joint work. We can respect it and implement it without discrimination so that a dark force like ISIS would not remerge and disasters like the ones happened in Sinjar and other parts of Iraq and Kurdistan would not be repeated so that Iraq and Kurdistan Region would be quieter and more prosperous and far from the threat of war and

terror that still threatens Iraq, the region and the world. This will require us to work and coordinate together to confront and uproot terror.

Dear respected attendees,

In our far and recent history, war has caused destruction, social backwardness and the melt down of the economy. Warmongers often don't think that the fire of war would get into their home as well. The best example that we all remember is the Ba'ath attack on Kurdistan, Iran and Kuwait. Many innocent people lost their lives. Life, economy and the state of people's psychology were disrupted.

The use of chemical weapons and the decision of mass killings became the practised policy of the regime. Until now, the people of this country, Kurdistan Region and even the region pay the price of warmongering of that time and it is not clear when the bad implications of the wars will end.

Let's heal our past wounds through forgiveness and not through revenge or plans incompatible with our coexistence.

Dear respected attendees,

Dear Kurdistanis...

Let's together forthrightly and patriotically take constructive steps toward negotiating collective agreements for governing our country without any national, religious, or territorial discrimination.

The Kurds have always declared humanistic and peace-loving intentions. We should be proud that the Kurdistan Freedom Movement never allowed previous imposed wars by former regimes to result in wars between the Arabs and the Kurds.

It is most often stated that the whole of Iraq is rich for natural resources; however, from now on we should prove to ourselves and to the world that establishing peace and solidarity are more significant than any natural resources to us.

At the regional level, let's establish national reconcile, solidarity, economic development, and negotiation policies. Fast changes in this region require unified efforts and absence of conflicts and disagreements.

Attheend, we will be all responsible forthe successes and failures. Protection of the rights, properties, economy and lives of the entire ethnicities is a responsibility and what is expected.

When we, together, work for protecting the security of the Region, and making effort for promoting economy, and progressing our relations with close and distant neighbours, we should also bear in mind that each of these countries have political, economic and social interests and priorities as well.

Strengthening relations with neighbouring countries on the basis of thoughtfulness and respect ensure the protection of everyone's interests taking international regulations, diplomatic norms, and constitutions into consideration.

Undoubtedly, it will be the responsibility of the Kurdistan Region president to work to connect the KR with the neighbouring countries for developing economy, trading, strengthening diplomatic relations, and discovering mutual solutions for any conflicts and sharing interests. Implementing this strategy can never stand as a threat to Iraq, it would rather results in strengthening significant relations at all the levels.

Dear attendants, and valued citizens, protecting and promoting Kurdistan Region's relations with neighbours and international countries will be prioritised responsibilities of the Kurdistan Region President. We all know that without international support, ISIS would have brought about much more destructions and atrocities to Kurdistan and Iraq. Undoubtedly, such supports ensured our success and to defeat ISIS.

Thanks for the endurance of every single citizens of the Kurdistan region. Despite salary shortages, slow market movements and economic activities, they comprehended the sensitivity of the circumstances and supported the Kurdistan region to proudly overcome the difficulties of the past few years.

Based on what have been learned from past experience and what we have been through during the past few years, we should have learned that the differences and diversities should not place obstacles on general interests of the Kurdistan region.

Regardless to all the differences and diversities, the current and next generation deserve a better future. Success in newer sectors of education, expertise in science, technological advancement and engineering along with development in sociology, medicine, psychology, history, and humanities will all lead our society toward a better and bright future.

Solidarity, development of social coexistence, promoting economy, policy and other aspects should be in line with shouldering the responsibilities of protecting the environment, bearing in mind that our environment will not be a victim of in neither today nor the future.

I reiterate that security and social peace are the guarantors of rights of individuals and the society. Our main aim is adopting dialogue to solve all the problems between Kurdistan Region and the federal government within the framework of the constitution. I also reiterate keeping the strong and friendly relationship with the neighbouring countries and the region and keep strengthening the position and balance of Kurdistan Region at the regional and international level.

We work seriously and exert all our efforts to achieve the constitutional rights of Kurdistan Region, guarantee the human rights, freedoms, global principles of the developed world to guarantee the rights and dues of all people from various walks of life, uprooting all kinds of violence, strengthening

coexistence, acceptance and making the country to be the country for all and make everyone to regard it as their own country.

We all have one sun rising above us. We all have one future and one destiny.

I thank all the leaders of the countries who have sent us congratulatory messages directly or indirectly. I once again thank you for your presence and wish for a nice day for all