That this House commends the determination of Dr Sulaiman Tameer, a vet from Duhok and founder of the Kurdistan Organization for Animal Rights Protection, to advance animal welfare legislation, as recently detailed by Joanne Stocker-Kelly for the Guardian newspaper; notes growing political support for him in the Kurdistan Region, which lacks a ban, for instance, on dog fighting and any standards for slaughterhouses; further notes that Dr Tameer’s proposals echo the UK’s animal welfare principles of upholding protection from hunger and thirst, discomfort; pain, injury or disease, the freedom to express normal behaviour, and freedom from fear and distress; and believes that Dr Tameer’s pioneering work illustrates the willingness, in difficult circumstances, of the Kurdistan Region to overcome various legacies of its past.

That this House commends the determination of Dr Sulaiman Tameer, a vet from Duhok and founder of the Kurdistan Organization for Animal Rights Protection, to advance animal welfare legislation, as recently detailed by Joanne Stocker-Kelly for the Guardian newspaper; notes growing political support for him in the Kurdistan Region, which...

That this House recognises the importance for relations between the UK and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq of the 30th anniversary of Sir John Major pioneering a safe haven and no-fly zone over Iraqi Kurdistan; believes that that has saved many Kurds from the genocidal vengeance of Saddam Hussein, provided a golden opportunity to form the institutional foundations of the modern Kurdistan Region that would probably not exist otherwise and gifted the world a decent, religiously pluralistic, and tolerant Kurdistan that has proved a vital ally in resisting Daesh and extremism; further recognises that Sir John’s advocacy of a safe haven in a few hectic weeks in March to April 1991 was a fitting response to the pleas of Iraqi Kurds marooned in the sanctuary of the freezing mountains and in neighbouring countries following their legitimate uprising against a dictator who committed genocide against them in the late 1980s; praises the outcry and organised generosity of the British public who sent tons of provisions to the Kurdistanis and who, together with astute lobbying by Kurdistanis in the UK, provided the moral pressure that enhanced Sir John’s far-reaching actions, which were joined by countries including France and the USA; thanks all British and other military personnel who participated in the 12-year operation to protect Kurdistanis; and proudly marks this milestone as an example of moral and pragmatic statesmanship combined with public concern and Kurdistani appeals for international action.

That this House recognises the importance for relations between the UK and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq of the 30th anniversary of Sir John Major pioneering a safe haven and no-fly zone over Iraqi Kurdistan; believes that that has saved many Kurds from the genocidal vengeance of Saddam Hussein, provided...

This House warmly welcomes the visit in March by His Holiness The Pope to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region where he will lead Holy Mass at the football stadium in Erbil; fully recognises that the Kurdistan Region enjoys considerable religious and ethnic diversity, that its Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs upholds the political, civil, social, cultural, and economic rights of minorities, and that the region has also provided a safe haven for refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDP) of many faiths from Syria and Iraq, including individuals fleeing religious persecution across the wider Middle East; further recognises that Kurdistani law, passed at the height of the war against Daesh, enshrines fundamental freedoms of thought, religion, speech, and culture, mandates the KRG to guarantee equality for all groups, and criminalises religious discrimination; notes peaceful co-existence between Muslims, Christians, Yezidis, Jews, Sabie Mandani, Zoroastrians, and Bahais, that religious leaders are frequently consulted by ministers and government officials, and that the 111 strong Kurdistan Parliament includes a list of five Turkmen representatives, five Chaldean, Assyrian, and Syriac representatives, and one Armenian representative; acknowledges that the KRG has allocated lands and built three churches and one cultural centre at its own expense for the Christian community in Erbil, that there are 135 different churches and 92 religious shrines in the region, and that there are public holidays on all religious occasions; and proudly commends the Kurdistan Region on its record and aspirations on religious freedom as exemplary in the Middle East.

This House warmly welcomes the visit in March by His Holiness The Pope to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region where he will lead Holy Mass at the football stadium in Erbil; fully recognises that the Kurdistan Region enjoys considerable religious and ethnic diversity, that its Ministry of Endowment and Religious...

That this House endorses the statement of 24 November to the Security Council by Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq; agrees that Iraq faces several interlinked and mutually reinforcing crises and that the devastating economic impact of covid will probably outlast the pandemic; shares her view that a constructive relationship between federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region underpins the stability of Iraq; deeply regrets the continuing impasse on federal budget payments to Kurdistan for civil servants’ pay who, in her view, should be shielded from political disputes rather than collectively victimized; agrees that constructive negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil are hampered by 15 years of unclear constitutional guidance, which cannot be ignored as it will block lasting solutions; agrees that the recent agreement between Baghdad and Erbil on the governance of the disputed territory of Sinjar is the first step towards stable security structures followed by a unified administration there; believes that such agreements can then be rolled out to other disputed territories, especially Kirkuk, and as part of greater co-ordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army to tackle Daesh extremists who operate in the no man’s land between the two forces; and urges the Government to encourage negotiated solutions on all outstanding issues based on the provisions of the federal constitution of Iraq and the rights of the Kurdistani people.

That this House endorses the statement of 24 November to the Security Council by Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq; agrees that Iraq faces several interlinked and mutually reinforcing crises and that the devastating economic impact of covid will probably outlast the...

That this House notes reports from the APPG on the Kurdistan Region in Iraq on a virtual delegation to meet Kurdistani leaders; fully acknowledges the crucial role of the Peshmerga in resisting the so-called Islamic State, that Kurdistan’s model of peaceful co-existence and equality are vital in continuing efforts to eradicate extremism, and that this is a vital UK interest; stresses the profound impact of covid-19 on oil revenues, which have fallen dramatically and may fade further as a proportion of the region’s income; further notes Kurdistan’s need to reform its public services and increase income from agriculture, tourism, and light industry with a bigger private sector and tackling corruption; wishes the KRG and the Iraqi Government the best in resolving their long-standing differences through the full implementation of Iraq’s federal constitution; believes that the APPG’s recommendations to the UK Government accord with its policy of supporting a strong Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in a unified Iraq; further believes that the UK Government should organise an official trade mission to encourage investment by private companies and public institutions; recognises the central importance of universities to the new economy; commends the suggestion that the UK Government send experts to Kurdistan to assess higher education and make recommendations for reform; endorses the APPG’s recommendation for skills transfer to Kurdistani MPs; and urges the Foreign Secretary to visit Kurdistan as soon as possible and organise an official visit by the KRG leadership to London to advance bilateral relations.

That this House notes reports from the APPG on the Kurdistan Region in Iraq on a virtual delegation to meet Kurdistani leaders; fully acknowledges the crucial role of the Peshmerga in resisting the so-called Islamic State, that Kurdistan’s model of peaceful co-existence and equality are vital in continuing efforts to...

That this House regrets that the recent BBC documentary, Once Upon a Time in Iraq, barely mentioned the experience of the Kurds and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, although it contains about a sixth of the population of the country and was one of the principal victims of the Baathist regime before 2003; agrees with Bashar Warda, the Chaldean archbishop of Erbil, that minority communities such as the Christians and the Yezedis feel voiceless and being airbrushed out of a major BBC documentary is wounding and damaging; notes that the BBC does not claim the documentary is a definitive history of the Iraq War or its people and believes, however, that such large omissions give a misleading impression of the dynamics of Iraqi politics and Kurdistan’s vital role in helping stabilise Iraq’s democratic process after 2003, as well as sheltering persecuted religious groups and over a million internally displaced people and refugees from Syria; further believes that Kurdistani perspectives and information on its democratic aspirations, religious pluralism, gender equality, and reforming Iraq could have better provided viewers with a more nuanced picture; and urges the BBC to commission a documentary on the experience of Kurdistan to give its viewers a more comprehensive picture of Iraq.

That this House regrets that the recent BBC documentary, Once Upon a Time in Iraq, barely mentioned the experience of the Kurds and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, although it contains about a sixth of the population of the country and was one of the principal victims of the Baathist...

That this House warmly congratulates the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, as it lifts the lockdown, for its concerted measures that have so far contained the spread of coronavirus in a population of about 6 million people to 347 cases and four deaths; notes that the KRG carries 70 per cent of the burden of the nearly $1 billion annual cost for providing basic services to over a million internally displaced people and refugees from Syria, many in camps, and who account for one fifth of the population; further recognises that sharp decreases in oil prices present grave difficulties given that Kurdistan and Iraq rely so heavily on oil revenues; hopes that the Iraqi government and the KRG can soon reach a long-term agreement on oil and revenue-sharing; and urges the caretaker government in Baghdad not to proceed with plans to cut federal subventions to the Kurdistan Region.

That this House warmly congratulates the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, as it lifts the lockdown, for its concerted measures that have so far contained the spread of coronavirus in a population of about 6 million people to 347 cases and four deaths; notes that the KRG carries 70...

That this House marks the 32nd anniversary of one of the worst incidents of mass murder by chemical weapons when the town of Halabja in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq was attacked by Saddam Hussein’s war planes on 16 March 1988; notes that the use of chemical weapons caused agonising death, often in minutes, of 5,000 men, women and children as well as injuring over 10,000 and in many cases inflicting life-long and debilitating illnesses; further notes that the attack on Halabja was accompanied by a wider campaign of genocide known as the Anfal in which about 180,000 Kurds were murdered and thousands of villages razed to the ground in an act of destruction with continuing harm to the agricultural bedrock of the Kurdistan Region; applauds the decision in February 2013 of the UK parliament to formally recognise the Anfal genocide and the decision of the UK government to mark Anfal each year; believes that remembrance is vital not only to mark the memories of those who were murdered, many of whom have yet to be unearthed from so far hidden mass graves, but also to challenge the mentality in parts of Iraq towards the equality of the Kurds; and expresses its full solidarity with the Kurds in Iraq as they seek to overcome their tragic history and forge pluralism and prosperity in a pan-Iraqi context while being key allies in the continuing fight against extremism and bigotry.

That this House marks the 32nd anniversary of one of the worst incidents of mass murder by chemical weapons when the town of Halabja in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq was attacked by Saddam Hussein’s war planes on 16 March 1988; notes that the use of chemical weapons caused agonising...