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Iraq''s Kurdistan, Kuwait keen on bolstering ties -- Barham Salih

IRBIL, North Iraq, Jan 18 (KUNA) -- Former President of Iraq Kurdistan region Barham Salih lauded relations with Kuwait, affirming that both sides were eager to boost the bilateral ties.
He said during a meeting with a delegation of Kuwaiti journalists that both Kuwaitis and Iraqis have suffered on the hands of the former Iraqi regime, affirming that the new Iraq was eager to cooperate with its neighbors to achieve development and prosperity for all states in the region.
The former Kurdish president welcomed Kuwait to invest in the region which has been developing through the last 10 years, stressing that that such investments would reflect positively on the whole of Iraq because Kurds were very loyal to the notion of a unified strong nation.
The delegation, which arrived in the Kurdish Region last Sunday, is headed by the Director of Kuwait Journalists Association (KJA) Ali Al-Rashed and comprises a number of journalists and figures representing Kuwaiti newspapers.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Iraq Ali Al-Momen who visited, on Friday, the Kurdish city of Halabja expressed his apologies for not visiting it sooner, yet he expressed a promising hope this visit would bring the Kurds and the Kuwaitis together.
He noted that the Kurds and the Kuwaiti people shared common tragic circumstances caused by the former Iraqi regime where Kurds and Kuwaitis got killed and captured or suffered an unknown fate.
The diplomat alluding to atrocities, perpetrated by troops of the ousted and executed Iraq dictator, Saddam Hussein, during his forces' occupation of the State of Kuwait (1990-1991). He was also referring to massacres the Kurds had suffered at hands of the regime personnel in the past.
Visiting Halabja, north of Iraq, was part of the missin of the Kuwaiti delegation of journalists, touring the Kurdistan region. The shared suffering, Al-Momen noted, would imprint sympathy and compassion on both people that would materialize into closer ties.
The Kuwaiti envoy expressed his apologies for not being able to visit the region sooner. However, he stressed that the visit is considered a new hope that would bring the Kurds and the Kuwaitis closer together.
In 1988, more than 5,000 were killed in the Halabja genocide where chemical weapons were used by the Iraqi government forces. (end) sbr.nfm KUNA 181156 Jan 13NNNN