President Barzani's message to the International Conference of the Federation of Kurdish Associations in the countries of the former Soviet Union

In the name of Allah the Gracious the Merciful Mr. President and members of the International Conference of the Federation of Kurdish Associations in the countries of the former Soviet Union Distinguished Guests and Attendees We commend the convening of the International Conference of the Federation of Kurdish Associations in the countries of the former Soviet Union, and appreciate the efforts of every one of you, to organize and unite the work and activities of the Kurdish associations in those countries, and wish you success. Unfortunately, the Kurds were divided by force and against their will, this division led to the exposure of the Kurdish people to grievances and great disasters, and the Kurds struggled to survive, and their successive revolutions prove that fact. Genocide, chemical bombardment, displacement, terrorist attacks, the tragedy of the Yazidi brothers and sisters, dozens of other disasters, and post-referendum events in the Kurdistan Region were all aimed at eradicating and erasing the Kurdish people. But, depending on the mighty God and the steadfastness of our people and bravery of Peshmerga, the people of Kurdistan survived and its will has never been broken and continues to struggle. The Kurdish people always seek peace and coexistence and want to live with dignity; we do not want the injustice and persecution of other peoples. It is our duty to convey our peaceful message to the world in the best possible way, to understand the just cause of our people and, in the best form, to build cultural and political relations with the peoples of the world. We are very happy that you are trying, by establishing unions and organizing federation and conferences in modern ways, to become a strong bridge between the people of Kurdistan and countries in the former Soviet Union. We take the opportunity to emphasize the historical relations between the Kurdistan Region, Russia and other countries in the former Soviet Union; these relations were founded by the immortal leader Mustapha Barzani and have reached the peak. We also appreciate the policy of the Russian government and other countries in this region towards the Kurdish issue and highly appreciate their facilitations for political and cultural activities. We believe it is necessary to extend our sincere thanks to you for your national and patriotic feelings and to commend you for your efforts to preserve the authenticity of the Kurdish language and culture among you. We will not forget your supportive positions for your sisters and brothers in the Kurdistan Region during the Referendum; we are happy about and proud of those positions. The referendum was an expression of the will of the people of Kurdistan, an oppressed nation, in a very peaceful way. If the events that followed the referendum and the betrayal of some people have done great harm to the people of Kurdistan, I assure you that the people of Kurdistan are, with a stronger determination and clearer conscious, now moving towards a bright future. In the end we reiterate that you our dear and valued sisters and brothers that we have hopes for you. We support your work and your cultural and political activities and hope that your conference will end with good decisions and recommendations and be a gate to unite your voice, the people Kurdistan in Europe and the entire Kurdish community around the world. Wish you all the best and happiness Masoud Barzani