Kurdistan Regional Government
Representation in Italy
Today, Minister Sinjari, accompanied by Dr. Kader and the entire delegation, was invited by the President of the Senate Defense Committee, Nicola Latorre, to address the entire Defense Committee.
Minister Sinjari thanked the delegation for their welcome and for Italy's military and humanitarian support. He then presented the situation in the Kurdistan Region, the progress made in the fight against Daesh, such as the recent recapture of Sinjar, thus freeing the communication artery between Raqqa and Mosul, the ongoing humanitarian emergency, and finally listed the priorities for humanitarian assistance to refugees and displaced persons and military supplies to the Peshmerga to better manage this unsustainable situation. All of this, the Minister emphasized, is exacerbated by the central government's negligent behavior, which has not sent its budget for approximately 16 months and has failed to cooperate on humanitarian and military levels in the fight against Daesh. Finally, Sinjari concluded, defeating Daesh means not only defeating it militarily, but also defeating it culturally, through education in schools.
President Latorre, on behalf of all political factions, applauded the role of the Peshmerga, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and all the Kurdish people in the fight against Daesh. "We know," Senator Latorre continued, "that there is a need for additional weapons and healthcare to continue the battle against Daesh, and it is Italy's intention to raise awareness of this with the Iraqi government. Regarding the additional commitment that Italy will be able to provide to the Kurdish Peshmerga, when the Government submits its decisions to Parliament, we will be ready to approve them with broad consensus," Latorre concluded.
Minister Sinjari and President Latorre held a press conference at the end of the hearing, broadcast to the Kurdish and Italian TV stations present.