Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region — On Saturday, April 19, 2025, the organization Pugwash – Iraq held its regional conference titled “Weapons of Mass Destruction -Free Middle East” in the city of Sulaymaniyah. The event welcomed a number of high-level guests from government and political institutions across Iraq and was held with the active support of the President Jalal Talabani Foundation and in cooperation with the office of Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The conference covered April 18 to 20, and opened with speeches from prominent figures including Dr. Hussein Shahristani, Chair of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs; Dr. Aram Muhammed Qadir, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Kurdistan Regional Government who presented Qubad Talabani’s speech, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region. Mr. Agri Muhammad Sabir also delivered remarks on behalf of Ambassador Dr. Muhammad, one of the founding members of Pugwash – Iraq.
In his speech, Mr. Agri Muhammad expressed gratitude to Qubad Talabani for his support in facilitating the event, and to Pugwash – Iraq for selecting Sulaymaniyah as the host city — a place of deep historical resonance, having witnessed the chemical attack on Halabja by the former Ba’ath regime. He emphasized the enduring pain of the Kurdish people following the 1988 chemical bombardment of Halabja, which resulted in the death of more than 5,000 civilians and the displacement of thousands more. He called upon Pugwash and the international community to officially recognize the Halabja massacre as an act of genocide, stating that silence is complicity in such crimes. A speech was also delivered by Nukhsha Nasih, Acting Governor of Halabja.
The conference gathered a wide range of local and international experts, researchers, and policymakers to discuss the prevention of the proliferation and use of weapons of mass destruction. Discussions focused on enhancing practical disarmament strategies, promoting peaceful conflict resolution, and envisioning a WMD-free Middle East.
The agenda featured three main sessions. The first, “Commemorating Halabja,” was chaired by Fareed Yassin and included speakers such as Howard Hu from the Keck School of Medicine at USC (via Zoom), Joost R. Hiltermann from the International Crisis Group, and Manocher San Ahmed of the Center for Genocide and Peacebuilding at the University of Sulaymaniyah. The session also included a screening of a short documentary titled “Halabja: A Wound That Never Heals.”
The second session, “History and Legacy of Chemical Weapons in the Middle East,” chaired by Riyadh Al-Muhaydi, featured Jean-Pascal Zanders of SIPRI and Pugwash, Ambassador Sergey Batsanov, former head of the Pugwash office in Geneva (via Zoom), and Mohammad Al-Shara’a, a founding committee member of Pugwash – Iraq. Discussions revolved around the lessons and challenges of implementing chemical weapons treaties.
The final session, “Toward a WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East — Promises and Challenges,” was chaired by Fareed Yasseen and featured notable speakers including Dr. Ali Akbar Salehi, former Iranian Foreign Minister and head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization; Ambassador Nabil Fahmy, former Egyptian Foreign Minister (via Zoom); and Paolo Cotta-Ramusino, former Secretary General of Pugwash (via Zoom). The session explored the role of regional stakeholders and international cooperation in establishing a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.
In his closing remarks, Fareed Yasseen thanked Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Ambassador Dr. Muhammad Sabir the President of Jalal Talabani Foundation, and Dr. Hussein Shahristani President of Pugwash, for their support and contributions.
Pugwash – Iraq is a non-governmental organization established following the election of Dr. Hussein Shahristani as President of the international Pugwash Conferences. The organization is dedicated to preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and resolving conflicts through credible, evidence-based dialogue among scientists, experts, and decision-makers across Iraq and the wider region.