Iraqi President Barham Salih urged on Sunday the residents of Kurdistan to cooperate with the sons of Basra, Mosul and other Iraqi cities for the benefit of the entire country.
“We must work together to avert the recurrence of the tragedies of the past,” he declared from Halabja city during the second day of a visit to the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
He kicked off his visit by laying a wreath on the monument for the victims of the 1988 chemical attack against the city by the former Saddam regime.
Addressing the gatherers at the event, Salih said that Halabja has become a symbol of the sacrifices of the Kurdish people.
“We will prove, however, that through hard work, it will become a symbol of prosperity, development, coexistence and social peace,” he stated.
He stressed that he sought to visit the city soon after his election as president to demonstrate the presidency’s gratitude to the major sacrifices that the entire region has made.
On the separation of Halabja from the Sulaymaniyah province to its transformation into the fourth Kurdish province, he said: “This is a very important message that has reflected the importance the regional government places on this area.”
“The federal authorities’ backing of this decision was an important step in the right direction and we hope that reconstruction would commence in this region as soon as possible,” he continued.
Salih then held talks with a number of local officials to listen to their needs and grievances, saying he will relay their demands to the federal government officials.
