ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon thanked authorities in the Kurdistan Region for their “generosity” in hosting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.
Shortly after arriving in the Kurdistan Region, he visited Syrian refugees at the Kawrgosk camp outside Erbil.
“I am particularly saddened to see so many young children and women and poor people who suffer from this man-made tragedy,” he said after the visit.
“I am here to send our strong solidarity and support to all the refugees who came from Syria on behalf of the UN and the international community.”
Ban arrived in Erbil Tuesday morning, a day after meeting with top Iraqi officials in Baghdad.
He was received by Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and officials from the department of foreign relations at Erbil international airport.
During his visit, the UN secretary general also met with Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani.
His agenda included talks on relations between Erbil and Baghdad, the security situation in the Sunni province of Anbar, where Iraqi troops have been fighting insurgent groups, and the war in neighboring Syria.
Ban was in Kurdistan with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres.
“We are also here to listen to the concerns of all the refugees here,” he said. “What I have seen is heartbreaking.”
He spoke of meeting a family with two very small children.
“They want to have a better future,” he said. “But now they live in a situation where their future is uncertain.”
Around 250,000 Syrian refugees are settled in various camps in the Kurdistan Region.
The secretary general applauded the Kurdish authorities, who have lived up to international expectations and accommodated the refugees.
“I would like to sincerely thank the government of Kurdistan for their kind generosity in hosting more than 200,000 refugees from Syria,” he said.
Ban mentioned the number of camps the KRG has established across the region for Syrian refugees, saying, “I highly commend such commitment to humanitarian principles.”
