Mr. Gilbert Mitterrand, son of Madame Danielle Mitterrand, addresses Parliament on 10-year commemoration of her death
The Kurdistan Parliament on 7 December 2021 held a sitting at which Mr. Gilbert Mitterrand, son of the late Madame Danielle Mitterrand, made a speech to MPs to mark ten years since the passing of France’s former First Lady and champion of the Kurdish cause and human rights.
Parliament Speaker Dr. Rewaz Faiq opened the sitting by asking for a minute’s silence in remembrance of the victims, both civilians and Peshmerga, of the ISIS terrorist attacks on Khidrjija, Qarachogh and Qara Salim in the past few days.
Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami and Secretary Muna Kahveci were alongside Speaker Faiq.
Speaker Faiq welcomed Mr. Gilbert Mitterrand, the son of the late Madame Danielle Mitterrand and President of the France-Libertés Foundation, on the 10-year commemoration of Madame Mitterrand’s passing. The First Lady of France, who is known as the Mother of the Kurds, championed the Kurdish cause at a time when the people of Kurdistan were being killed in campaigns of genocide.
Kurdistan Region Vice President Mustafa Said Qadir and Minister Safeen Dizayee Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations (KRG DFR) addressed MPs, France’s Ambassador to Iraq Eric Chevalier and Consul General Olivier Decottignies attended the sitting.
Speaker Faiq said that the commemoration, organized together with the KRG DFR and the French Consulate General, honours Danielle Mitterrand’s brave stance and support for the Kurdistani people in the bleakest times of their struggle.
Dr. Faiq said that Madame Mitterrand was present at the first Parliament sitting after the agreement that ended Kurdistan’s civil war, and had addressed the Parliament, and anyone who heard her speech understands that Madame Mitterrand was a visionary and placed great importance on the experience of the Kurdistani people.
“To show our respect for Madame Mitterrand and to honour her memory through our culture of commemoration, we have the opportunity to be addressed by her son Mr. Gilbert Mitterrand,” Speaker Faiq said.
Mr. Gilbert Mitterrand in his speech thanked the Kurdistan Parliament and the KRG for inviting him to the 10th remembrance ceremony and said, "The Kurdistan Parliament was established here in 1992 in the presence of Danielle Mitterrand, and then in 2002 at the peace sitting she was welcomed again to the Kurdistan Parliament. In 2009, Danielle Mitterrand was given the opportunity to make a speech to the MPs elected to the place where I am now."
He also thanked the Kurdistan Parliament and the KRG for the respect shown to Danielle Mitterrand and through them, the great respect that the people of Kurdistan showed the mother that they adopted by commemorating 10 years since her passing.
He appreciated the Peshmerga forces’ fight against ISIS terrorists and honoured the families who have lost loved ones in the war, he said, “Especially the families who are today holding the funerals of their loved ones, Peshmerga and civilians, who were martyred in the past few days.”
Describing Danielle Mitterrand’s campaigns and support for the Kurds, Mr. Gilbert Mitterrand said, “You were a light for Danielle Mitterrand and you can be a light for so many others. There is a saying that the Kurds have no friends but the mountains, but you should know that you have many brothers and sisters around the world.”
Mr. Mitterrand asked the Kurdish parties and forces to be united.
Kurdistan Region Vice President Mustafa Said Qadir then made the following speech as the Kurdistan Region Presidency: "Ms. Daniel Mitterrand’s renown as a true defender of human rights and a loyal friend of the Kurdish people is alive and will live on; especially in the bleak years of the last century, she was our truth-teller to the world and directed humanity’s conscience towards us."
Vice President Mustafa Said Qadir pointed to Madame Mitterrand’s important role in strengthening the friendship between the peoples of France and the Kurdistan Region. He said, "Our nation will never forget the friendship of President Mitterrand, President Hollande and President Macron at critical moments and regard them with great respect and appreciation, nor will we ever forget the Mother of the Kurds, the woman who fought for human rights and the rights of the Kurdistani people; she will forever live in the memory of the people of Kurdistan."
Minister Safeen Dizayee read a speech on behalf of the KRG Prime Minister, in which he said, "On behalf of the Kurdistan Regional Government, I am honoured to participate here today with you in the 10-year commemoration of the passing of our nation's closest friend, Madame Danielle Mitterrand."
"Without a doubt, the people of Kurdistan will never forget Madame Danielle Mitterrand’s humanitarianism, for which she is known as the Mother of the Kurds, and the courageous stance of her husband France’s President François Mitterrand, in support our people’s legitimate cause. On this day of remembrance, we pay tribute to them for their help and support to the people of Kurdistan throughout their lives," he said.
For the second reading of the Bill on Supervision of Agricultural Projects in the Kurdistan Region - Iraq, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Begard Talabani and KRG Minister for the Region for Parliament Affairs Dr. Vala Fareed were present, as the Agriculture and Irrigation Committee and Legislative Committee read out the bill.
MPs gave their detailed comments and suggestions on each article of the bill, the purpose of the bill and the bill as a whole, with the aim of strengthening and enriching it.
Minister Begard Talabani explained some points of the bill to MPs.
Deputy Speaker Hawrami, who presided over the latter part of the sitting, said that the order of business would continue at a sitting the following day, 8th December 2021.
