Speaker Rewas Faiq and North Rhine-Westphalia Deputy Prime Minister Joachim Stamp discuss Rojava and situation of IDPs and refugees

Kurdistan Parliament’s Speaker Dr. Rewas Faiq on 15 October welcomed Mr. Joachim Stamp, Deputy Prime Minister of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the region’s Minister for Children, Family, Refugees and Integration.

Speaker Faiq briefed Deputy Prime Minister Stamp on the current situation in Rojava and the war that has killed civilians and forced many thousands of them to flee. She said that in recent days, some of them have reached the Kurdistan Region and are now settled in camps as refugees. The risk that thousands of ISIS prisoners escaping from Rojava prisons remains a major threat to Kurdistan's borders, Dr. Faiq said.

The Speaker said, “Our people are deeply concerned about the plight of the people of Rojava, and the current situation for our community is very difficult. We expect thousands of refugees to come to Kurdistan in the coming days. This is a matter of deep concern to the people of our Region, and we ask our friends to support us.” 

Speaker Faiq added that the Kurdistani people do not want Christians and Turkmen to leave, and our peaceful coexistence is one of the features that sets Kurdistan Region apart from other areas in Iraq.

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Stamp said, “It is regrettable that the European Union has so far failed to make a united decision on the situation in Rojava. We want to see more diplomatic efforts made. We appreciate Kurdistan Region’s assistance to over one million refugees and IDPs over the past several years.”