SHOTLIST

BAGHDAD, IRAQ (SEPTEMBER 14, 2025) (ANADOLU – ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZED BY RASHID CENTER THINK TANK ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DEMOCRACY

2. VARIOUS OF IRAQI POLITICIANS ATTENDING SYMPOSIUM

3. IRAQI KURDISH POLITICIAN MELA BAHTIYAR SPEAKING

4. VARIOUS OF SPEAKERS DELIVERING REMARKS BAGHDAD, IRAQ - SEPTEMBER 14: A symposium marking the International Day of Democracy was held in Baghdad on Sunday, September 14, by the Rashid Center think tank.

Former Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri said Sunnis in Iraq are inclined toward the logic of the state. He explained that this tendency is not temporary but rooted in decades of political experience, emphasizing the need for a state structure that strengthens institutions and does not mislead its citizens.

Iraqi Kurdish politician Mela Bahtiyar stated that within the next five to ten years, armed militias in Iraq and the region will disappear and be replaced by unified forces under state control and bound by the constitution. He stressed his support for unifying all forces in Iraq, saying that the era of achieving freedom through war had ended and that the dream of establishing nation-states was over.

Independent Shiite politician Izzat Shahbandar said the parliamentary elections scheduled for November 11 in Iraq will not be postponed. He added that the greatest danger facing the region is Israel’s recklessness.