Masrour Barzani’s Speech at MEPS 2025

ARK News.. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani delivered the following welcoming address on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, at the opening of the Middle East Peace and Security Forum (MEPS 2025). He expressed hope that the outcomes and recommendations of the conference would not remain confined to dialogue but would form a foundation for practical steps, saying: “We hope that once this conference concludes, the recommendations produced here will be presented to those in positions of authority so they may benefit from them.”

Below is the full text of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s speech at MEPS 2025:

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful,
Your Excellency President Barzani;
Mr. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Iraq;
Mr. Fayiq Zaidan, President of the Supreme Judicial Council;
Mr. Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region;
Honorable Deputy Speakers of the Council of Representatives;
Mr. Mustafa al-Kazhimi, former Prime Minister of Iraq;
Mr. Ahmet Davutoglu, former Prime Minister of Turkey;
Dr. Busher al-Khasawineh, former Prime Minister of Jordan;
Distinguished party leaders and political representatives;
Members of the diplomatic community;
Academics;
Dear students;
Dr. Mohammed Hassan, representative of the United Nations;
Esteemed guests, brothers and sisters:

Welcome to all of you, and welcome to the Middle East Peace and Security Forum — MEPS.

This forum is being held for the sixth consecutive year to discuss and address the challenges and issues facing our region. There is no doubt that your participation will enrich the forum and contribute to its success. I hope you enjoy your time here, and I extend my gratitude to the organizers of the forum, wishing them continued success.

We hope that once the forum concludes, the recommendations formulated here to address the existing problems and challenges in the Middle East will be presented to the authorities and decision-makers so they may benefit from them.

It is also appropriate to congratulate everyone on the successful Iraqi elections, which constituted a major victory for the Iraqi people. I wish the winning parties — and all Iraqis — success and prosperity.

And finally, I would like to ask all participants to support Zakho FC, which has been nominated by FIFA for the Best Fan Award. I hope you will all support Zakho FC and contribute to advancing sports in the clubs of Kurdistan and Iraq.

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