The Commandments of the first academic forum on "Arab-Kurdish Dialogue” in Iraq Koya University

The Commandments of the first academic forum on "Arab-Kurdish Dialogue” in Iraq

Koya University/Kurdistan Region/Iraq from 28 to 30 April 2019

Under an open critical dialogue, the first academic forum held in Koya University on April under the title” The Intellectual and the coexistence Kurdish – Arabic Dialogue in Iraq” between Baghdad and Koya Universities.

As a confirmation from both an academic foundation and their commitments with coexistence values they decided to honor both Iraqi intellectuals Hadi Alawi and Faleh Abdul-Jabbar as two outstanding Iraqi intellectual figures, they have an honourable history on the subject of dialogue, rationality and peaceful coexistence. In this forum, many Arab, Iraqi and Kurdistan academics participated in it.

The forum enriched by tens of papers, which the dialogue was the best solution between the two nations. Apart from any political bias or obligatory satisfaction in an open space the critical dialogue put the following commandments:

1. The dialogue is the only approach for coexistence. As dialogue is the only web for ideological, ethnic, and doctrine prejudice and it is the mind protector against oppression and other types of violence.

2. Focusing on that the accurate dialogue between two equal parties in mentality and humanity is the only way. Both parties should admit to other party’s human dignity between the individuals and among societies. Since dominating is not fit with the dialogue between two neighbors. Therefore, the participants decided on that declaring of self-determination for each nation is a main base and manner in coexistence speech and it does not undergo any excuses or agreements.

3. The participants confirmed that a civil dialogue should be the only way to deal with all the important political obstacles in a limited region to reach the limits of a wide political case. These two nations are neighbors for hundreds of years. Historically, the basis of coexistence has been formed so that historically nature should be considered to form a political dialogue. Consequently, the political dialogue should not be linked to current and limited political requirements. That is why the participants agree to impose the Arab- Kurd dialogue and this dialogue should be put away from political negotiations. There should be a standard and a pre-action on the mutual future interest bases between the two nations. This is true for the interests of all the regional nations and their future views. So the direct political requirements or the ones that have political border fear should not dominate the coexistence and dialogue between the two nations.

4. As a start, this dialogue should be expanded to elected figures of the forth nations in the Middle East, Arab, Kurd, Persian, and Turk. It should not involve only Arab and Kurd figures. Kurdistan Region is a good place for this kind of human dialogues among these four nations.

5. A dialogue is a path and this forum is a basic step towards it. The participants want to break this academic routine and to expand it to include Arabic universities outside Iraq to share the academic meetings, as it is a useful connection and intellectual need for both.

6. From this initiation, it is important to establish an Arab – Kurd dialogue institution.

First, by the academics and Iraqi Universities also the faculties and department of humanities in particular. This is doable be paying more attention to human rights, democracy, and citizenship studies then fitting these concepts with the students and enforcing equality, freedom and dignity values.

7. It is necessary to establish an Institution of Arab-Kurd dialogue or a professional academic foundation for Arab-Kurd relationship in history, culture and sociology fields to involve a large people of intellectuals and academics in both nations. In addition to creating articles and concepts to serve that the dialogue is the only way for coexistence. From this viewpoint, the importance of intellectual researches appears to expand the context of definitions of the historical relationships between Arab- Kurd and other nations. Because this action may form a mutual cognition that there is no allocation as well as to set a strong relationship, which made an obstacle in front of the connection. Despite this, the mutual intellectual will be found on the bases of science and acquaintance.

8. The proposed institution will set a connection web with specialized research centers for this action, to create research proposals in cooperative with centers and research establishment. This will be done through workshops and intellectual and political forums that care about coexistence and dialogues between both nations.

9. The participants hope that this dialogue will not be for specified figures. It should be expanded to involve most categories and components in Iraq societies. All of them should be gathered first then to admit the quality among all in rights and duties. Here the importance of the role of the woman appears in setting dialogues and distributing peace and multiculturalism.

10. The participants highly appreciate the Arabic Institution for Democracy, which asked to host the next session of this Arab-Kurd dialogue in their base in Tunisia in the scope of joint work with Koya and Baghdad Universities.

11. The participants suggest that a follow-up committee should be set to implement these commandments. This will be done with the cooperation of all related formal institutions and civil society organizations and academic institutions.