Hawrami: “Iraq now is divided into three sectors, and as result, national Iraqi identity no longer exists,

By official invitation from al-Jazeera, the Head of Kurdistan Democratic Party’s Foreign Relations Office Hemin Hawrami is participating at the 9thforum in Doha from 4-6 May where is speaking on the panel under the title ‘Conflict and Change in the Arab World’.

Mr Hawrami outlined a brief modern history of relations between Kurdistan and Iraq, detailing the horrific campaigns against the Kurds by former Iraqi regime, notably al-Anfal and the chemical attacks on Halabja.

He went on to speak about how the Kurds have representation in today’s Iraq, such as Kurdish parliamentarians and government ministers in Baghdad but noted that there is no “power sharing” between the two sides.

Mr Hawrami said, “Iraq now is divided into three sectors, and as result, national Iraqi identity no longer exists, replaced with Shia, Sunni and Kurdish identities,” he added, “the political roadmap of the Middle East will be altered, and must include the vital and active role that the Kurdistan region plays in the new Middle East”

The Kurdish Peshmerga’s success was emphasised by Mr Hawrami, where he praised their substantial victories against Islamic State terrorists as the only force with boots on the ground, recapturing and liberating key towns that were abandoned by the Iraqi army, “which is why the war against ISIS should be waged by us all”, he said, “as it is a threat to the entire world, not just in Kurdistan and Iraq,”

On the sidelines of the forum, Mr Hawrami held meetings with various officials in attendance at the forum, including Prime Minister of Morocco Abdulla Beniirane, Dr Seyed Mohammed Kazem Sajjadpour, advisor to the Iranian foreign minister, Dr Mohammed Jawad, Iran’s ambassador to Qatar and Joshua Baker, Arabic-speaking spokesman to the US department of foreign affairs, who all expressed their admiration toward Peshmerga for effectively fighting against extremism.

The al-Jazeera forum is an annual event where politicians, media professionals, intellectuals and civil society activists from over 50 countries participate forum and it addresses topics including Future trends of democracy and authoritarianism in the Middle East, The role of the media in conflict, Politics and the military in the Middle East.