Speaking at the graduation ceremony for the American University of Kurdistan’s (AUK) Class of 2026 in Duhok on Thursday, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani underlined that a strong Kurdistan brings peace to the region and Iraq.

“I want you to carry this truth with you: a strong Iraq needs a strong Kurdistan. A strong Kurdistan brings peace and prosperity to this entire region. And a strong Kurdistan needs unity. That is the guiding principle of President Masoud Barzani,” Prime Minister Barzani said in his speech. 

“That was the principle of our founding father, Mustafa Barzani, whose name stands on the founding building of this campus. And that is the principle we carry forward, every day, without exception.

“We were pioneers in this region in sharing power. We chose partnership when others chose domination. We will keep advocating for it, in Erbil, in Baghdad, and everywhere our voice reaches.” 

Furthermore, Prime Minister Barzani stated that the Middle East has entered another critical phase of instability, and Iraq sits at its heart, facing threats from within and from without. 

“Here in Kurdistan, we saw those dangers early, and we moved swiftly to engage our partners in Baghdad. Today, our joint efforts are laying the foundations of a new Iraqi state under the government led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, a government we have resolved to support, actively and fully, as it confronts the political, security, and economic challenges facing Iraq and the wider region.

“And we have not supported it with words alone. When the war in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted the region, Kurdistan intensified its contribution to Iraq’s oil exports. When Iraqi citizens outside the Kurdistan Region needed electricity, we supplied it, even as Kurdistan itself was still in need. That is what partnership looks like. That is what building Iraqi state institutions means in practice. Because we understand what strong institutions mean to the ordinary citizen: justice, stability, and a future built on talent, not on connections.”

Prime Minister Barzani added that these contributions to partnership were made while the Kurdistan Region’s economy and infrastructure was targeted by 1,000 drone and missile attacks.

“Their goal was to stop Kurdistan in its tracks. They failed. We remained resilient. We remained patient. And we kept working with our partners in Baghdad for the good of all Iraq. We confronted ISIS and defeated it by standing together with our partners and allies. We will confront this threat the same way, and we will defeat it the same way.”

At the ceremony, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also underlined that his generation lived through a very difficult and challenging period in the history of Kurdistan. “We have had the responsibility of protecting, rebuilding, establishing institutions and structures, and opening the doors of the country to the region and the world,” he told the students. “We have achieved many major accomplishments of which we are all proud. But there is also much work remaining for you and future generations to do.

“A strong country is not one that makes no mistakes. A strong country is one that can see its mistakes, discuss them, learn from them, correct them, and move toward the future.”