On Friday, 20 March 2015, the KRG Representation in Austria held a reception on the occasion of the Kurdish New Year Newroz in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq. The Reception was attended by the diplomatic corps in Vienna, members of the Austrian parliament and the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Austrian members of the business, academic and political sphere, and official representatives of the Kurdish and Iraqi community in Austria.
Numerous people followed the invitation to the Hotel Imperial in Vienna. Dr Mustafa Ramazan, KRG Representative in Austria, and Dr. Surood Najib, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq in Austria, jointly welcomed the guests.
This year’s Newroz celebrations were much more contemplative than in the previous years in light of the current crisis in Iraq. The many civilian victims of IS aggressions, and the fallen peshmerga forces, who courageously took on the fight against the terror group were commemorated. Several guests of the reception offered consolation to Dr Ramazan and to attending Kurdish journalists and affirmed their support and solidarity. The KRG Representation showcased several photographs which reflect the diverse ethnic, religious and cultural heritage of the Kurdistan Region that is threatened by the IS terrorists since mid-2014.
Newroz, which means “new day”, is celebrated by over 200 million people worldwide. Falling on the first day of spring, it has come to symbolize peace, freedom, tolerance and renewal, but for the Kurds it also holds a further significance. According to Kurdish myth, it was on Newroz that a Kurdish blacksmith defeated the tyrannical king Zuhak, thus freeing the Kurdish people from oppression.
The following embassies (a.o.) followed our invitation:
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Embassy of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire
Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus
Embassy of the Dominican Republic
Embassy of the Republic of El Salvador
Embassy of the Republic of India
Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Embassy of Kuwait
Embassy of the Libanese Republic
Representation of Palestine
Embassy of Romania
Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
Embassy of the United States of America
Following is a short video of the event (all rights: KurdistanTV):