This evening, Thursday 11/12, in the presence of Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and Vala Fareed, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament, a ceremony was held to celebrate the graduation of the 45th class of Salahaddin University-Erbil.
In an address, the prime minister congratulated the graduates, thanked their professors and families for their efforts, and wished them success and a bright future.
He also referred to his visit to Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, in recent days and his meeting with Ali Zaidy, the Iraqi prime minister, explaining that one of the main topics of their discussions was the employment of civil servants and university graduates. For more than 12 years, the Kurdistan Region has not been allowed to appoint new civil servants, while the region produces thousands of university graduates every year, some of whom wish to work in the public sector.
In another part of his address, the prime minister spoke about reactivating the Kurdistan Parliament, noting that the aim of the move was to preserve the legitimate entity of the Kurdistan Region and its institutions, and that it was not directed against any person or party. He therefore expressed hope that all political parties in Kurdistan would view the process responsibly and, in light of President Barzani’s appeal, return to parliament and participate in talks on forming the Kurdistan Region’s new cabinet.
Here is the text of his address:
In the name of God, the Most Great and Most Merciful
Dr. Vala Fareed, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament,
Respected president, council members and professors of Salahaddin University,
Honorable graduates,
Respected families of the students,
Dear guests,
Today, I am pleased to join you at this special celebration and ceremony marking the graduation of the 45th class of your university. I extend my warmest congratulations to the graduates and wish you success and a bright future in the next stages of your lives.
I thank the university president and council, as well as all respected professors, for fulfilling their sacred duty of educating students.
I also express my respect and appreciation for the hard work and sacrifices of the students’ mothers, fathers and families, who are undoubtedly very happy today to see their children graduate and reap the fruits of their efforts and sacrifices. Your graduation is not only your achievement as students; it is also a great achievement for your parents and families.
Dear graduates,
Each of you will receive a degree today in a specific field. This degree is certainly not merely a card or piece of paper; it is evidence of the knowledge, expertise and experience you have acquired in various sciences during your university studies. I hope that each of you will be able to serve your community and country in your respective fields and play a notable role in Kurdistan’s comprehensive development.
Try to create and innovate yourselves, and you can start with a small project. Always persevere in your efforts until you succeed. Do not be afraid of failure. Failure is not trying and not succeeding; failure is never trying because you fear failure.
Respected guests,
The stability, job opportunities and suitable environment you await require economic, security and political stability. That is why we are continuously working to create suitable conditions for you.
In recent days, we visited Baghdad and held intensive meetings with the respected federal prime minister and his ministers, engaging in lengthy discussions during which we emphasized the constitutional rights and financial entitlements of the people of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Region’s special budget share.
One of the main topics of our discussions was the employment of civil servants and our university graduates. Unfortunately, for more than 12 years, the Kurdistan Region has not been allowed to appoint new civil servants, particularly as we have thousands of university graduates every year, some of whom wish to work in the public sector.
I hope that, by resolving the issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government and reaching a fair agreement on the Kurdistan Region’s share of the general Iraqi budget, we can create more employment opportunities and jobs for our young people.
At the same time, in recent years we have provided strong support to the private sector and offered every possible facilitation so that it can play an active role in Kurdistan and ultimately provide more job opportunities for our young people. We have also issued decisions to increase the employment of the youth of Kurdistan.
At the same time, we have begun reforming the Labour Law to improve working conditions in the private sector, particularly in terms of protecting legal rights and securing the future of those employed in the private sector, so that they enjoy conditions comparable to those of public-sector employees and civil servants.
Respected guests,
As you know, after two years, the Kurdistan Parliament was finally reactivated and resumed its work. The aim of this process was to preserve the legitimate entity of the Kurdistan Region and its institutions. It was not directed against any person or party; rather, it was intended to restore confidence among the voters of the people of Kurdistan, all communities and political parties.
I would like to commend the parliamentarians who courageously fulfilled their moral, legal and national duties and participated in reactivating parliament.
I hope that all political parties in Kurdistan will approach this process with national responsibility and support this step. In light of President Barzani’s appeal, I hope they will return to parliament and participate in talks to form the Kurdistan Region’s new cabinet, so that together we can better serve the people of Kurdistan and make our Kurdistan stronger and more prosperous.
We offer our endless thanks to the heroic Peshmerga. We thank the internal security forces and security agencies for providing us with this security and peace. We bow our heads in respect and honor before the proud families of the martyrs.
Once again, I congratulate you. May you always be successful, may this achievement bring you blessings, and may our Kurdistan always prosper. I wish you success.
May you always be happy and successful.
