Prime Minister Barzani chairs cabinet meeting on coronavirus, thanks people for patience in fight against pandemic

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) – Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday chaired a cabinet meeting via video conference to discuss the latest developments in the battle against the coronavirus, and to review social distancing measures.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) thanked the region’s population for their resilience and commitment to public health guidelines, and decided to extend the existing leave for staff of government departments until May 2. All travel restrictions remain in place.

Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani also attended the meeting, in which Prime Minister Barzani stressed that the government will strive to ease the burden on peoples’ livelihoods without undermining government guidelines in the fight against the virus.

The cabinet also decided to assign KRG Minister of State Khalid Salam Saeed to form a delegation to visit Baghdad to discuss the Kurdistan Region’s share in the Iraqi government’s budget, and to coordinate with the federal government to fight the coronavirus pandemic and tackle the economic crisis.

The KRG paid tribute to victims of the Anfal genocide on the 32nd anniversary of this horrific crime, and called on the federal government to fulfill its moral and constitutional duty to compensate victims of this massacre as well as for the damage inflicted on the Kurdistan Region due to racist policies of previous regimes, as stipulated in the constitution.

The cabinet also condemned the ISIS terrorist attack on the town of Kolajo last week, in which two Peshmerga fighters were killed and others were injured. This attack is a reminder of the ongoing threat of terror to our region.

The KRG also commended Peshmerga forces for assisting security forces in enforcing the curfew, alongside their tireless endeavours to protect Kurdistan Region from terrorist attacks.

Finally, the government sent warm greetings to Christians on the occasion of Easter and to Yazidis on their new year.