Before looking back at this past month, I would like to look ahead to the historic visit of Pope Francis to Iraq and Kurdistan Region from March 5 to 8.

There is great excitement about the papal visit, not just among the Christians of Iraq but people of all faiths. In Kurdistan Region, we look forward to Pope Francis celebrating Holy Mass on Sunday March 7 at Erbil’s Franso Hariri International Stadium and his meeting with the President of the Kurdistan Region and the Prime Minister.

You can follow His Holiness’s journey to Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Mosul, Erbil and Qaraqosh through the Kurdish media and the Vatican website: Read more

This past month we were shocked and saddened by the rocket attack on Erbil by militias. The attack was an attempt to hit US and Coalition forces stationed at the city’s airport and to undermine the stability of the Kurdistan Region. This rare incident outraged Kurdistan, Iraq and the international community, with all sides condemning the attack which killed two people and injured over a dozen. Following the attack, US Secretary Tony Blinken called KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to discuss the incident and pledge America’s support for all efforts to investigate and hold accountable those responsible. An investigation was launched by the KRG, the Iraqi government and the United States.

Several members of Congress also expressed their outrage at the rocket attack and support for US airstrikes that took place in response to this and other recent assaults in Iraq on US facilities.

The US airstrike, which took place on February 25, hit facilities used by Iraqi militia in East Syria.

What is needed now is de-escalation. The Kurdistan Region’s stability and status as a safe haven for those fleeing persecution needs to be protected and preserved. US forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government and their role is to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces against ISIS terrorists.

Meanwhile, the business of government continues. This month, the new governor of Erbil, Omed Khoshnaw, was sworn in and the KRG announced that more than 350 billion IQD ($240 million) will be set aside in the 2021 budget for investment projects across all four of Kurdistan’s provinces.

Expressing his support for Kurdistan’s youth and entrepreneurial spirit, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani addressed the wildly popular TEDx Nishtiman event that brought young people together to share ideas and experiences. The Prime Minister urged Kurdistan’s youth not to give into cynicism or to think that we are prisoners of the past. He urged them to believe in themselves and to be part of the political debate and to bring in new ideas.

The Prime Minister and other Kurdish leaders bid farewell to Dr Roj Shaways, who died on February 15 after an illness. Dr Shaways was a highly respected leading figure as a peshmerga and public servant. He held several posts in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, including KRG Prime Minister and Vice President of Iraq. He will be greatly missed.

Here in Washington DC, our Mission has continued our outreach to the Kurdistani-American community across the United States, including the Chaldeans in Michigan and Yezidis in Nebraska and elsewhere. We have also held meetings with members of the US Congress and officials in the new Biden Administration. I also had the pleasure of meeting with Nashville Mayor John Cooper last week to thank him for his embrace of the Kurdish-American community in his city, which is often referred to as Little Kurdistan.

Representative to the United States

Kurdistan Regional Government

This episode features a discussion with David Tafuri, the President of the United States Kurdistan Business Council (USKBC), an advisor to the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the United States, and a political commentator on Fox News. Mr. Tafuri sheds light on the mission of the USKBC and the organization’s activities in the Kurdistan Region, his experience working for UNHCR in Turkey and later for the US Embassy in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. He also offers his take on the KRG’s economic reform initiative and how it can attract more US investors to Kurdistan.

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, said the February 15, 2021 rocket attack on a US air base in the Kurdish capital of Erbil that claimed several lives was “definitely a terrorist attack”, and that a preliminary probe into the matter has given “a good indication of who was behind it”.

Prominent Kurdish musician Hazhar Zahawi performs at TEDx Nishtiman 2021 in Erbil