ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan—A bill on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which an Armenian member of parliament introduced in the parliament of the Iraqi Kurdistan autonomous region, has caused debates among the local political parties, German Kurdish news agency Rudaw reports.
Although the parliament’s Kurdistan Patriots Union (KYB) openly supported the bill, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Movement for Change (Gorran) preferred to remain silent on the matter.
KYB lawmaker Rewas Fayik noted that he signed for this bill and its passing in the Iraqi Kurdistan parliament will be “something ordinary.”
Several KDP lawmakers likewise signed in favor of the passing of the proposed law.
KDP member Muhammad Amir Dershewi, for his part, said everyone knows that genocide was committed against the Armenians, and stressed that the parliament of the Kurdistan autonomous region must take the initiative.
Forty Iraqi Kurdistan members of parliament signed under the bill, which calls for the recognition of the Armenian Genocid. It has been submitted to the presidency of the parliament for consideration.
Kurds that wish to remain silent are actually contributing to the denial policy. Their fight with Da’esh will eventually make them choose sides.
Recognizing a wrong done is for the brave, Kurds are brave and people of integrity, I’m sure they will pass the bill,
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Jalal Talabani’s party, has been more sympathetic to Armenian cause then (KDP). KDP, Barzani’s party is known to have good relations with Turkey since Saddam’s days. Prior to Iraq invasion (2003) when no fly zone was enforced, Barzani clan used to smuggled illegal oil to Turkey. Today the biggest investors in Iraqi Kurdistan are Turkish companies. In another word, Turkey has the upper hand of Iraqi Kurdistan economy. Kurdistan is flooded with Turkish goods and products. If you follow the political affairs of Iraq/Syria/Turkey region, you would notice that Masoud Barzani is very attentive not to upset Turkey in dealing with Kurdish issues in the region. Recently, Barzani sent an envoy to Gallipoli Commemoration in Turkey, I’m not aware of if they sent any representation to the Armenian Genocide Centennial.
We as Kurds would have hoped that our Armenian Cousin Law makers would take a reciprocal stand in recognising the Dersim atrocities in 1930’s which constitutes as an act of genocide as well as the systematic mass murdering of the Kurds by Saddam in 1980s Anfal campaign and Halabja and the ongoing mass murder of our Yezidies by ISIS.
The Kurds in Iraq were very good to the Armenians. My father who was 12 during the massacres said what was left of the Armenians who were not killed, kidnapped, or raped, the Turkish Kurds finished it. Therefore the Turkish Kurds better straighten their act and support the Armenian cause. Because their are going to suffer under the Turks. What goes around comes around. They will pay sooner or later.
Btw, I sympathize with Yazidis.