President Nechirvan Barzani attended a ceremony organized by the Kurdish Academy, Salahaddin University and Erbil Governorate to honor Kurdish scholar, Dr. Faryad Fazil Omar.

The President delivered a speech at the ceremony, which was also attended by a number of ministers, officials, academics and intellectuals of the Kurdistan Region. The following is a readout of the speech:

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning,
Welcome everyone.

I am pleased to attend a ceremony today to honor a prominent scholar of our people who has done a great service to the Kurdish language, literature and history. I would like to thank the organizers of this ceremony.

Honoring the abilities, talents and products of each of our scientists and inventors is honoring the identity and history of our people. It is a loyalty to all the efforts of people, who have offered to serve their people and country, in any field, wherever they are.

On this occasion, I would like to congratulate Salahaddin University for awarding an honorary doctorate to Dr. Faryad Fazil for his services.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dr. Faryad is one of the prominent scholars who has served his people and country with dedication. For more than half a century, he has continued to preserve and serve the language, culture and history of our people through poetry, essays, scientific and academic research, teaching, translation and cultural projects.

While still a university student, he made preserving and serving Kurdistan’s language, culture and history his main goal and continuously worked in this field. After completing his higher education and obtaining his doctorate in Germany, he founded the Institute of Kurdish Studies at Azad University in Berlin, which has been serving our language, literature and history for more than 33 years.

In addition to donating 44 books to the Kurdish library, Dr. Faryad has also been a strong bridge of communication to introduce the thoughts of our nation to the outside world, especially to the Western societies. This is in addition to the Kurdish Academic Dictionary in both Kurdish and Sorani, Kurdish-German Dictionary and Kurdish Grammar in German and many other important linguistic works.

He also translated Ahmadi Khani’s masterpiece Mam and Zeen, Nali’s Diwan, Goran’s poems and Sheikh Nuri Sheikh Salih’s poems into German and English to introduce the true image of the Kurdish people to the minds and consciences of the peoples of the world. A people with a living language, a high literature, a culture rich in aesthetic and human values.

I would like to congratulate Dr. Faryad who was awarded the German President’s Merit Award at the end of last year for his services in the field of Kurdish academia, language, literature and culture. I would also like to congratulate Mr. Nihad Qoja and Mr. Salah Ahmed, who have previously received the same award, for their services in the field of humanitarianism and friendship.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The image of the Kurds and the Kurdish people has previously been transmitted to other nations only through foreign orientalists and Kurdologists. At best, they have given us an image of a brave warrior, an incomplete image of our identity and history.

Therefore, it is important to erase the previous images from the minds of the outside world, so that they can see our true image through the conveyance of our thoughts, literature and culture. The outside world must see and read Kurdish thought, which is the duty of our people’s scholars, academics and intellectuals. It is important for this task to have efficient institutions, made up of qualified, capable and experienced people, both at home and abroad.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we live in an age where no weapon is as effective as science and knowledge for our survival, protection and strength. The survival and progress of any nation in the world depends on the level of productivity and innovative ability of their children in all political, economic, social and cultural fields, with scientific and modern methods. Therefore, scientists, inventors, talented people are an important asset of our nation and country.

The education system in Kurdistan at all stages, from kindergarten to university, must be at a level that responds to the needs and issues of this era and opens the door to thought, innovation and creation to students.

Language is the main pillar of nations’ identity and we must look at it from that perspective. Science must also be seen as an important value. Education should not only be for obtaining degrees, but also for obtaining knowledge and for the sake of progress and development of society.

Among Kurds abroad and in Kurdistan, we have talents in many fields, and all of them are an important asset of this nation and this country, which we must respect and work seriously on these issues. Each of them can be an ambassador of the thought and culture of his people, in order to introduce the true image and identity of his people, with scientific methods and modern language, which is the soft power and has a great influence in today’s world.

Kurdish culture is rich and has many great names and works that have served not only Kurds, but also other nations and all humanity. The fine values of coexistence, mutual acceptance, tolerance, peacefulness, love of life, and the gems of Kurdish art, literature and deep and rich literature should be a subject for the peoples of the world to see and read and see and respect our history, the height of our literature and art, the characteristics of our national identity and personality.

Finally, I would like to thank the organizers of this ceremony, the Kurdish Academy, Salahaddin University and Erbil Governorate for their hard work in organizing this ceremony, for their initiative and for awarding Dr. Faryad. We thank them.

Here, I would like to say that we want to honor and reward Kurdish scholars, writers, intellectuals, artists and talented people in any field, both in the country and abroad, to make a culture, and express our appeal for their products and innovation, and assist them in printing, publishing and translating their works.

I wish Dr. Fazil a long life, good health, continuity and success, and I wish you all a good day. You are very welcome.

Thank you.