Grand Opening of New KRG HQ in D.C.

Yesterday marked a proud day for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as we celebrated the opening of the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) headquarters in Washington, DC. This inauguration underscores our commitment to maintaining and deepening our relationship with America, as well as to our mission of helping our friends better understand the Kurdistan Region.

The new KRG headquarters will continue to serve as the hub for providing testimony, education and guidance on a variety of issues and opportunities relevant to our goals and priorities as part of Iraq. Our office will also continue to focus on encouraging foreign investment; promoting knowledge and understanding of the people living in the Kurdistan Region; facilitating political, cultural and educational visits to Kurdistan; and cultivating educational links to and from the Region. The new HQ will also be the center for up-coming intellectual, cultural and social activities highlighting the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. There is, in fact, already a lot of wonderful art from the Region all throughout of offices.

Designed by the Victorian architect Thomas Franklin Schneider (1859-1938) and originally built in 1910, the new KRG Headquarters – at 1532 16th Street, NW – is a step into history along one of Washington, DC’s most storied streets, just blocks north of the White House. The restored townhouse provides the KRG staff with more room and better resources by which to serve the people of the Kurdistan Region, or anyone who visits the office.

My team and I, are excited to be working from this new office – and to proudly continue to represent the Kurdistan Region of Iraq here in the U.S. If you did not make it to the opening night of the headquarters, I encourage you to drop by and we will give you a tour of this wonderful new place.

Giving Secretary Albright Her Due…and Her Day

A few days ago I had the pleasure to formally deliver to former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright a letter of thanks from Presidents Barzani and Talabani, and a proclamation on behalf of the people of the Kurdistan Region making May 15 a day to honor her:

“…we hereby offer our eternal gratitude and proclaim our eternal friendship with the Honorable Madeleine Albright on the occasion of her birthday. In her honor, we honor this day and honor her service to her Country, the United States of America, which she has served so ably….”

If you are unfamiliar with the story, we owe Secretary Albright considerable thanks for her efforts to promote peace amongst the leadership of Kurdistan Region. She, along with a good team at the State Department, brought together Jalal Talabani and Masoud Barzani to sign the historic “Washington Accord” of September 17, 1998. This act ended considerable infighting, opening up our region to great progress and modernization. The invocation of the commemoration states it best:

“You had the strategic vision to see that it was essential for us to set aside our differences and join together in a unity government in order to create a future full of promise and peace for all the people of the Kurdistan Region. History has proven just how right you were.”

This reminds us all, that Kurdistan’s success, as a stable and democratizing society in the heart of the Middle East may not have been possible, were it not for the engagement and support of the United States.