KRG seeks to address Belarus border crisis
Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) - At the request of the Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the Ministry of Interior today convened a meeting with relevant ministers and governors to discuss the situation in Belarus and the migration crisis.
The KRG’s Spokesperson and Head of the Department of Media and Information, Dr. Jotiar Adil, issued the following statement about the meeting:
“Today, we discussed the current migration crisis unfolding at the border between Belarus and Poland, which involves a number of Kurdish citizens.
“We are taking the matter very seriously and will handle it with utmost care. The KRG has already been in contact with several consulates, including Belarus and Russia through the Department of Foreign Relations.
“Many factors are contributing to a migration crisis affecting the Kurdistan Region and surrounding countries, and pushing our youth to undertake a perilous journey toward Europe. This includes regional security issues and the effects of the global recession.
“The KRG is committed to addressing the root causes of this phenomenon and will set up a special committee to provide recommendations to the Council of Ministers. It will also continue to implement reforms aimed at creating more job opportunities for the youth and improving the quality of life for all people in the Kurdistan Region.
“Since the formation of the ninth Cabinet, more than 120,000 new jobs have been created through the KRG’s strategic projects plan.
“The KRG also urges the Iraqi Government to help mitigate the situation by ensuring the Kurdistan Region’s full share of the budget is sent on time and to not withhold public salaries, which financially hurts hard-working individuals and their families.
“This global crisis should not be used as a political tool against the KRG. We assure our citizens that our government has been working to resolve salary shortages, improve the delivery of public services, and implement its reforms. It is for these reasons that certain members want to distract the public from our efforts, but we remain committed to providing real, sustainable solutions for our people.”