Bill Wilson MSP

Dr Bill Wilson, MSP for the West of Scotland, welcomed the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Minister for Sport and Youth, Mr Taha Barwary, to his office last Thursday following a discussion of a wide range of issues affecting Kurdistan.

Mr Barwary is in Scotland to consider how devolved governments, like Scotland and Kurdistan, handle the administration of their sports teams.  The two nations are in unique positions as members of multi-national states, and Mr. Barwary hopes to learn from the Scotland the most effective way of managing multiple teams within a single state.

Mr Barwary, alongside Kurdistan’s High Representative to the UK, Ms. Bayan Sami  Abrdul Rahman, also explained to Dr Wilson that Kurdistan is a surprisingly peaceful region that is often wrongly associated with the violence of its neighbours.  Kurdistan is a calm, non-violent place, insisted Mr Barwary, and does not suffer from the problems faced in other parts of Iraq.

Dr Wilson said, “It brought me great pleasure to invite Mr Barwary to my office, and an even greater pleasure to hear about the state of peace in Kurdistan.  At one point, Mr Barwary remarked that Kurdistan was so peaceful that the Regional Government has deployed troops outside of Kurdistan to assist in peacekeeping duties in more violent areas of Iraq.  It is important that people hear about this side of Kurdistan, about the positive influence Kurdistan and the Kurds have within the Middle East.

“The two topics discussed today—peace and sport—do not exist in isolation from one another.  Mr Barwary explained that, as Kurdistan moves toward greater equality for its citizens, he as Minister for Sport and Youth hopes to use sports as a means to promote equality.  I was pleased to hear Mr Barwary discuss the start of two women’s sports clubs in Kurdistan.  Scotland should embrace the government of Kurdistan as it attempts to build a more secular state with greater rights for women and minorities.  It was a great pleasure to learn what lies in store for the future of Kurdistan, and I look forward to discussing the country's progress with the minister in the future.”