Nine Kurds elected to local councils across Finland
Kurdistan Region marks first presence at Paris Book Fair
President Barzani arrives in Paris to meet Macron
China well-prepared to counter Trump's tariff strategy: Researcher
37 Kurds run for Finnish local elections
A+ A-
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nine Kurds have secured seats in local councils across Finland, while two others have been elected to the Welfare District Council, signaling a growing Kurdish presence in the Finnish political landscape.
Two of the successful candidates, Mohis Azizi and Seida Sohrabi, lauded Rudaw's coverage of the elections as playing a significant role in raising awareness among voters and encouraging them to participate in the ballot.
Speaking to Rudaw's Sima Abkhezer, Sohrabi, who ran under the National Coalition Party (NCP), said that 'Kurdish candidates who secured seats were able to win votes in various areas, which means we gained support from both Kurds and non-Kurds alike.'
For his part, Azizi underscored that large numbers of Kurds live in Finland. He highlighted the crucial role played by educated Kurdish youth, noting their growing contribution to Finnish society.
"The Kurdish fingerprint is more visible than ever before in Finland and it is time that the voice of Kurds be heard," Azizi said.
A total of 37 Kurdish candidates ran in the local elections, including 22 men and 15 women, representing an array of political parties such as the NCP, Left Alliance, Social Democrat Party (SDP) and the Green League.
SPD emerged on top, while the NCP and the Centre Party of Finland came in second and third, respectively.
In terms of Kurdish origins, 15 of the candidates descend from Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhelat), 14 from Northern Kurdistan (Bakur), 6 from Southern Kurdistan (Bashur) and 2 from Western Kurdistan (Rojava).
In Finland's southwestern city of Turku alone, nine Kurds were nominated.
Walat Nahri, former president of the Kurdish Associations Union in Finland, told Rudaw that 'more than 18,000 Kurds live in the country according to official statistics.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Iraq FM: Conflict spillover would devastate Iraq, diplomacy is the only shield
Shafaq News – Baghdad Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned that any attempt to drag Iraq into regional wars would 'destroy' the country and the armed factions, stressing that Baghdad rejects the notion of unified battlefronts and insists Iraq's arena is solely its own. In a televised interview aired Saturday on Shams TV, Hussein outlined Iraq's approach to armed groups, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Law, relations with Iran and the United States, the Erbil–Baghdad dispute, regional conflicts, and the future of Kurds in Syria. وزير الخارجية العراقي فؤاد حسين: لولا قوات التحالف الدولي لكان تنظيم "دا.عــ.ـش" يسيطر على أجزاء واسعة من العراق. #العراق #فؤاد_حسين — Shams TV قناة شمس (@shamsnewstv) August 17, 2025 Avoiding Regional War Hussein credited Iraq's survival amid neighboring conflicts to a dual-track approach: dialogue with armed groups at home and diplomacy abroad. He revealed Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Shia leaders had warned faction commanders of the dangers of unilateral actions, while Baghdad reached out to Washington and European capitals to prevent Israel's war from spilling into Iraq. 'We made it clear that Iraq has only one arena, which is Iraqi, and we reject the concept of unified battlefronts,' Hussein pointed out, warning that dragging Iraq into conflict would destroy the country and its factions. He added that despite some continued strikes on US bases, Baghdad's firm position had restrained wider escalation. Disarmament and the PMF Law On why 'militias' could be contained but not disarmed, Hussein affirmed that force was not an option. ' Disarmament by violence would risk civil war,' he cautioned, arguing instead for Shia dialogue first, followed by a national dialogue across communities. 'Weapons outside state control remain unacceptable but must be addressed through reason, not confrontation.' He compared Iraq's situation to Lebanon, where decades of failed attempts to disarm Hezbollah showed that 'the language of arms only produces more destruction.' Regarding the PMF Authority Law in parliament, Hussein said he was the only minister to object, citing the tense regional climate. 'Sometimes an issue is valid, but the timing is wrong,' he said, noting that such legislation has unavoidable security and military implications. Relations with Iran and the United States Hussein rejected claims that Tehran dictates Baghdad's decisions. 'It is not true to say Iran rules Iraq, but it is also not true to say Iran has no influence,' he remarked, pointing to Iraq's weakened sovereignty since UN sanctions in 1991 and the 2003 invasion. On Iranian National Security Adviser Ali Larijani's visit, he described it as a routine trip, not a special mission. Discussions focused on bilateral ties and avoiding wider war. He added that Tehran thanked both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region for their positions during the recent 12-day conflict inside Iran. As for Washington, Hussein confirmed US opposition to the PMF law but said Iraq's national interest requires a single military authority. He underscored Iraq's reliance on the Global Coalition, noting that without its intervention, ISIS would still control Baghdad and Erbil. 'Now the question is—who will protect Iraq if another war comes?' he asked. Iraq's Neutrality and Soft Power Hussein rejected labeling Iraq as neutral. 'We are against war. That is not neutrality—it is principle,' he said, explaining that Iraq lacks 'hard power' and instead must rely on diplomacy and soft power to safeguard its interests. Erbil–Baghdad Relations On ties with the Kurdistan Region, Hussein considered the root of the dispute lies in Baghdad's centralist mindset, which clashes with the federal constitution. He pointed to the absence of long-promised legislation, including the Oil and Gas Law and the Federal Council, which has forced reliance on outdated centralist laws, describing the current oil revenue-sharing deal as temporary, and stressing that a lasting arrangement must guarantee the Kurdistan Region's fixed share without federal interference in salaries or local revenues. Syria, the Kurds, and Regional Stability Turning to Syria, Hussein related the instability there to Iraq, warning that Syria remains fragmented with the presence of Turkiye, US, French, Israeli, and Russian forces, in addition to ISIS remnants. 'This reality requires new approaches based on decentralization and democracy,' he argued, stressing that centralization fuels division while decentralization can preserve unity. On Kurdish aspirations, he said independence is not on the agenda. 'Dreams remain dreams, but reality is different. Kurds in Syria are struggling for rights within a democratic, decentralized state, not for separation.'
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
European leaders to join Zelenskyy-Trump meeting at White House
Shafaq News – Brussels / Moscow / Kyiv European leaders will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump at the White House on August 18 for talks following Trump's Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed her attendance on Sunday, posting on X that she would meet 'President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow' at Zelenskyy's request. This afternoon, I will welcome @ZelenskyyUa in we will participate in the Coalition of Willing VTC. At the request of President Zelenskyy, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders in the White House tomorrow. — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 17, 2025 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Finnish President Alexander Stubb are also expected, according to a European official cited by CNN. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have likewise committed. Merz's office described the gathering as 'an exchange of information' with Trump following his meeting with Putin. Morgen reise ich mit Präsident @ZelenskyyUa und anderen europäischen Staats- und Regierungschefs nach Washington. Wir tauschen uns mit US-Präsident Trump aus: zum Stand der Friedensbemühungen, Sicherheitsgarantien, territorialen Fragen und der weiteren Unterstützung der Ukraine. — Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) August 17, 2025 The wave of visits comes after Trump pledged to intensify diplomacy at the Alaska summit, later writing on Truth Social that a ' peace agreement' — not a ceasefire — was the best way to end the war. Separately, Ukraine's core European allies — the so-called 'Coalition of the Willing' — will convene today by video conference ahead of Zelenskyy's White House meeting. The Élysée Palace said the session, co-chaired by Macron, Merz, and Starmer, begins at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET). It will be the coalition's second meeting in a week, part of efforts to coordinate long-term security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Despite the diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire, hostilities persisted. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 46 Ukrainian drones overnight between August 16–17, including 16 over Belgorod and 14 over Nizhny Novgorod, with others shot down across Voronezh, Bryansk, Kursk, Orel, Kaluga, and Smolensk. Ukraine's General Staff reported 68 Russian airstrikes in the same period, involving 127 guided bombs, nearly 4,800 kamikaze drones, and more than 5,900 artillery and rocket attacks across Sumy, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. It said its forces repelled dozens of assaults from Kupiansk and Lyman to Kramatorsk, Toretsk, and Zaporizhzhia, claiming Russian losses of roughly 900 troops, four tanks, eight armored vehicles, and nearly 50 artillery systems in a single day.
Shafaq News
a day ago
- Shafaq News
Walk through history: Inside the home of a Kurdish hero
Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah The home of Sheikh Mahmoud Hafid Barzangi, known as the "King of Kurdistan," has been transformed into a museum showcasing his role in early 20th-century Kurdish uprisings against British rule. Located in Darikala, a village between Garmian and Al-Sulaymaniyah, the house retains modest furnishings, family photographs, and rugs that were used during his campaigns. Shafaq News correspondent toured the residence, capturing artifacts that reflect Sheikh Mahmoud's efforts for Kurdish autonomy and his advocacy for an independent Kurdish state. Born into a family with both religious Sufi and tribal influence, Sheikh Mahmoud Hafid, also known as Mahmoud Hafidzadeh Barzangi, emerged as a prominent political and social leader. He led a series of Kurdish uprisings in the 1920s, earning the title "King of Kurdistan" during a turbulent period in Iraq's history. One of his most notable battles took place at Bazian Pass (Darbendi Bazian), where he secured the strategic passage. The site later became known as the "Rock of Freedom" and was eventually converted into a public park called Berde Qaraman in Kurdish.
