Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani welcomed the Kurdish rescue teams on February 19 that had been dispatched to quake-zones in Syria and Turkey.
On behalf of the Kurdish people, the Prime Minister thanked those teams and said: “your works demonstrated that we are peace-loving people; We will remain committed to help our sisters and brothers in need, anywhere in the world.”
The following is the full transcript of the Prime Minister’s speech:
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
I would like to welcome home our beloved sisters and brothers who have been assisting the victims of the earthquake in North and East of Kurdistan, as well as in other parts of Turkey and Syria.
Those teams, consisting of emergency aid teams from the Ministry of Interior, healthcare and emergency teams of the Ministry of Health, Barzani Charity Foundation, and Iraqi Red Crescent Society-Erbil branch, were among first who reached the areas. Unfortunately, many lost their lives and many others trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. You went there and assisted them. You have made us proud. We thank you. We welcome home you all, God bless you.
Your works demonstrated that we are peace-loving people; We will remain committed to help our sisters and brothers in need, anywhere in the world. Kurds around the world are proud of you.
I am here to welcome you all back and extend my heartfelt appreciation. We will continue assisting anyone who needs help, anywhere and anyway possible. There have been many times we were in need, too. Other people opened their doors for us. We knew how blissful their works were. And now that we helped other people, it showed that we will never forget their help at those difficult times. We will remain committed to help those in need as much as possible. We will never forget those in need.
Once more, I thank you. I know that some of your teams are still in Syria and Turkey. Especially the Barzani Charity Foundation, which has some plans to create camps and to provide extra assistance. You could rescue many people. I appreciate that. Even the authorities of those countries conveyed their message of gratitude. They also formally stated that you were the first emergency and rescue teams to arrive in those areas.
Once again, I thank you all, and on behalf of the people of Kurdistan Region, welcome you back. I wish you good health and success. I know that a few of you were harmed, I wish you a speedy recovery. Welcome back home.
I know you are already tired as you took a long journey, I wouldn’t make you more tired. Some of you must still travel for long hours before reaching home. I don’t take more of your time. I wish you all success. We will remain committed to supporting you.