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Calls for Unity in Kurdistan Region to Guarantee Better Future

A woman dressed in ceremonial clothing stands with a torch before lighting-up a pyre during an Iraqi Kurdish celebration of Nowruz in the northeastern city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on March 20, 2021. (Photo by Shwan MOHAMMED / AFP)
A woman dressed in ceremonial clothing stands with a torch before lighting-up a pyre during an Iraqi Kurdish celebration of Nowruz in the northeastern city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on March 20, 2021. (Photo by Shwan MOHAMMED / AFP)
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Calls for Unity in Kurdistan Region to Guarantee Better Future

A woman dressed in ceremonial clothing stands with a torch before lighting-up a pyre during an Iraqi Kurdish celebration of Nowruz in the northeastern city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on March 20, 2021. (Photo by Shwan MOHAMMED / AFP)
A woman dressed in ceremonial clothing stands with a torch before lighting-up a pyre during an Iraqi Kurdish celebration of Nowruz in the northeastern city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on March 20, 2021. (Photo by Shwan MOHAMMED / AFP)

Leaders of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region on Saturday congratulated the people on the occasion of Nowruz, the Kurdish new year, calling for a new beginning based on unity to guarantee a better future.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani stated that Nowruz is a sacred national holiday. It is a symbol of victory and freedom to the Kurdish people, he added.

Barzani invited everyone to a new beginning and to benefiting from the mistakes of the past.

He added that ensuring a better life to citizens requires unity and cohesion, in addition to putting an end to the conflicts among the Kurdistan political parties.

Barzani urged all parties to convene to discuss the regional situation, and to find solutions based on constitutional rights.

“To resolve the issues with the federal government and the issues in Iraq in general, I reiterate that the Kurdistan Region will assist and be cooperative in the pursuit of stability and peace and a better future for the country,” Barzani said, adding that the UN and international community should help both parties reach a final agreement.

“Everyone should know that resolving the issues between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government is the key to peace, stability and prosperity in Iraq.”

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also congratulated the people on the occasion of the new year.

Barzani expressed hope that Iraq’s federal government will fully “implement the constitution and stabilize the political, economic, and security situation” in the country.

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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.