Secretary Muna Kahveci welcomes German Government's Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Mr. Frank Schwabe
Kurdistan Parliament Secretary Muna Kahveci and several MPs on 5 April 2023 welcomed Mr. Frank Schwabe, MP and the Federal German Government’s Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief, and his delegation.
Mr. Schwabe was accompanied by German MPs, German NGO representatives, and Germany’s Deputy Consul General in Erbil, Mr. Sven Mossler.
Secretary Kahveci said, “The rights of the component communities are guaranteed by law, and members of the communities actively participate in the Kurdistan Region's Parliament and Government. In the Kurdistan Parliament elections, a number of seats are reserved for the different components, and they represent their own communities."
The Parliament Secretary thanked the German Parliament for its recognition of the Yazidi genocide, and the German Government for its sustained support to the Kurdistan Region.
The discussion covered the Election Law and amendments to the Law on the Kurdistan Independent High Election Commission, and the obstacles and differences of opinion among the political parties on the whole election process.
Secretary Kahveci said, “The rights of the communities must be protected, they should not feel marginalized. Finding a consensus among all of Kurdistan Region’s political parties on this issue is important, there should be compromise and agreement. In particular, the communities’ rights must be protected, they must be represented on the Election Commission, and the number of their reserved parliamentary seats must be maintained, as this will ultimately strengthen the culture of coexistence, solidarity and unity between all parties, nations and religions in the Kurdistan Region.
The German delegation emphasized the enduring friendship and cooperation between the German Government and the Kurdistan Region, and they commended the strong culture of peaceful coexistence here.
Strengthening ties between the Kurdistan Parliament, and Germany’s Parliament and Government was another topic of the meeting.
Kurdistan Parliament MPs representing the component communities and Parliament advisers participated in the meeting.
