پەرلەمانی کوردستان
September 17, 2026
In Duhok, President Nechirvan Barzani took part in the official ceremony marking the graduation of the American University of Kurdistan’s seventh cohort, where he was joined by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the families of the graduates, and a large number of guests.
During the ceremony, the President of the Kurdistan Region delivered a speech, the text of which reads as follows:
Dear graduates, distinguished families of the graduates,
President and faculty of the American University of Kurdistan,
Honored guests,
I am happy to be with you this evening to celebrate the seventh graduating class of the American University of Kurdistan, honoring 122 graduates from the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the region.
I offer my heartfelt congratulations to you, your families, your faculty members, and all those who have supported you in reaching this milestone and completing this important stage of your education.
Graduation is not the end of learning; rather, it marks the beginning of a new phase in which your responsibility for your decisions, and your influence and contribution to your community and country, increase. This evening, I wish to address several of these responsibilities.
Our generation has passed through very difficult and challenging stages in the history of Kurdistan. We have faced the responsibility of protection, reconstruction, strengthening institutions, and opening the doors of our country to the region and the world. We have achieved significant accomplishments that are a source of pride for us all, yet much remains for you and future generations to accomplish.
A strong country is not one that never makes mistakes. A strong country is one that recognizes its mistakes, discusses them, learns from them, and corrects them before they become lasting problems.
The mission of a university extends beyond teaching you how to answer questions. It must teach you how to seek the truth and make things better. Educational institutions should foster independent thinking, encourage you to ask questions and investigate, and promote constructive criticism aimed at improvement. Constructive criticism does not weaken Kurdistan; rather, it moves it forward.
Dear graduates,
True patriotism, respect for the sacrifices of the martyrs, the struggle of the Peshmerga, the efforts that have brought us to where we are today, and respect for what has been built so far are not demonstrated only by preserving things as they are. They are honored by improving them. Genuine dedication means safeguarding achievements and making them better.
Honoring the struggles of previous generations does not mean becoming an echo of our generation. Your responsibility is to see what we could not see, find solutions that we could not find, and build what we were unable to build.
This responsibility is particularly important in a world that is changing rapidly.
Advanced technology and artificial intelligence are transforming the way we learn, work, manage economies, practice medicine, and many other fields in ways we may not yet fully foresee. We must not only be consumers of these technological advancements; we must contribute to them through knowledge, research, and innovation.
Embrace technology and artificial intelligence and contribute to their development, but do not surrender the questions that must remain a human responsibility: conscience, ethical decision-making, and accountability for decisions. These values are not functions to be delegated to machines; they are the essence of your humanity.
Distinguished graduates,
No matter how far technology advances, certain values will never change: integrity, dedication to your responsibilities, and using your knowledge to serve and benefit your people and your country, while promoting diversity, coexistence, and peace.
True wealth lies in your minds, not beneath the ground. Personal success is important, but it gains greater value when it is transformed into knowledge, projects, or solutions to the challenges facing your society. Be leaders, not through titles, but through responsibility and initiative in action.
Our generation will move on, and tomorrow it will be your turn. But we do not hand over to you a perfect and complete Kurdistan. What we entrust to you is what our generation has been able to build, with its achievements and shortcomings.
Therefore, do not let the achievements of our generation become the limits of your dreams. Create knowledge, build new projects, advance technology, protect the environment, and commit to punctuality and professional ethics, so that together we can take Kurdistan to a stage of productivity, innovation, and global competitiveness.
At the same time, safeguard something that may be less visible but has a lasting impact:
Your right to question, to hold different opinions, and to criticize, while also respecting the right of the person beside you to tell you that you may be wrong.
Our aspiration is to build a Kurdistan where each generation can see farther than the generation before it and leave the country in a better condition for those who come after them than the one they inherited. This is your responsibility, and we have every confidence in your ability to fulfill it.
Once again, I warmly congratulate you, all graduates of Kurdistan, as well as your families, your professors, and your university.
I want to offer my warmest congratulations and my thanks to my dear brother Masrour Barzani, chancellor of the American University of Kurdistan, and to recognize what he has done here. What this university has become — how it was built and how far it has come — deserves real respect. I wish you every success in the years ahead.
Thank you.
