H.E. Nechirvan Idris Barzani, Prime Minister, Kurdistan Regional Government

Please accept my warm greetings and best wishes for a successful conference. We in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) believe sport empowers individuals, builds confidence, encourages team spirit and instills a sense of pride. We established the Ministry of Sports and Youth in 2006 because we know that sport makes a significant contribution to the development of our society.

We in the Kurdistan Region have overcome a difficult past. For many of our people the idea of enjoying organised sports used to be only a dream. Since our liberation the Kurdistan Regional Government has been proactive in helping people to realize their dreams and aspirations. Our government strives to devise policies which give everyone the opportunity to participate in a variety of physical activity, and I am pleased that the Ministry of Sports and Youth has developed strategies to facilitate our efforts in this regard.

The KRG is committed to providing a safe environment and an improved quality of life to each and every individual of the Kurdistan Region. Participating in sport brings people together. It provides an opportunity for individuals to interact and promotes tolerance and peaceful coexistence among all the people of the Region.

I am pleased that the Sports Council for Wales is co-hosting this important conference and collaborating with the Kurdistan Region. This is an excellent platform in which the Kurdistan Region's sport policy-makers and administrators can exchange ideas and forge friendships. Again, I wish you all great success at this conference and I hope that the ideas generated here will be a springboard for our future collaborations with the international sports community.

With best regards,

H.E. Nechirvan Idris Barzani