8th Sulaymaniyah Forum Takes Place Today

Kurdistan 10:33 AM - 2024-04-17

8th Sulaymaniyah Forum Hall

The eighth Sulaymaniyah Forum is scheduled to take place in Sulaymaniyah on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The event will bring together prominent individuals from Iraq, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States to engage in discussions on significant matters and propose suitable solutions. 

The eighth Sulaymaniyah Forum, titled "Middle East Conflicts," will take place at the American University in Sulaymaniyah. Distinguished leaders and personalities from the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States will convene to engage in discussions on political, economic, and environmental matters. The forum is scheduled to span two days, April 17 and 18.

The discussion will focus extensively on the topic of relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. The forum will address the issues of climate change and water scarcity, focusing on strategies to mitigate these challenges and protect the environment across nations. The forum will include political, economic, and environmental panels led by several ministers and senior officials from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. It will also involve the participation of several international specialists and academics.

The Sulaymaniyah Forum annually convenes around 500 participants, including politicians, activists, journalists, and academics from several countries. The inaugural Sulaymaniyah Forum took place in 2013 at the American University, focusing on the topic of "Geopolitical Change in the Middle East". The second forum was held in 2014, followed by the third forum in 2015, the fourth forum in 2016, the fifth meeting in 2017, and the sixth forum in 2019. The Sulaymaniyah Forum was cancelled for the years 2020 to 2022 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The seventh forum, titled "20 years later: Iraq and the region in the face of new global challenges," took place in 2023.

Dr. Barham Salih: I hope that this forum turns into a platform for problem-solving

During the beginning of the forum, Dr. Barham Ahmed Salih, the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of American University in Sulaymaniyah, presented the opening remarks and stated: "I am delighted that we have gathered in Sulaymaniyah today to address several challenges currently confronting our area."

He further said: "I hope that the eighth Sulaymaniyah Forum will be for the examination of issues, crises, and disputes, to find resolutions and transform this forum into a platform for problem-solving."

"The Sulaymaniyah Forum holds great significance for the city as we aim to develop a prominent knowledge center for the Middle East through this university. We intend to address the issues at hand with utmost seriousness and engage in in-depth discussions," he added.

DPM Talabani: We have many leaders but few statesmen

Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, stated in a panel at the 8th Sulaymaniyah Forum that the nation's reliance on oil has become a disaster. He emphasized the importance of focusing on economic infrastructure and transitioning away from oil. 

Talabani stated: "The economy of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region is imbalanced and heavily dependent on oil, with the knowledge that our oil income would decline in the next years. I favor the end of oil because it has become a disaster for Iraq and our nation."

In the same panel,  Talabani said that a governmental plan can help the Kurdistan Region and Iraq focus on real banking and the private sector for a better future and reduce reliance on oil revenue. "This can be achieved by a comprehensive government strategy, despite the plenty of leaders, but we have few statesmen," he said. 

 

 

PUKMEDIA