Sovereignty Leader at MEPS 2025: Exclusive arms control by State essential for regional security
Shafaq News – Duhok
Sovereignty (al-Siyada) Alliance leader Khamis al-Khanjar on Tuesday called for immediate economic reform and the establishment of a “just state,” asserting that Iraq’s Sunni community demands governance anchored in equity and national sovereignty.
Speaking at the Middle East Peace and Security Forum (MEPS 2025) in Duhok, al-Khanjar warned that the region faces a decisive moment amid rising global instability, deepening economic pressures, and intensifying geopolitical tension, urging collective action to mitigate threats and pursue sustainable peace.
He outlined three pillars he deemed essential for regional security: full respect for state sovereignty, unified national institutions, and exclusive control of weapons by the state, cautioning that lasting stability is impossible when non-state actors or informal power centers influence government functions.
Al-Khanjar stressed that weakening constitutional authority fractures national unity and betrays the people’s trust, insisting that legitimate power must remain within official institutions—not in the hands of parallel structures or external forces.
The MEPS 2025 forum, held from November 17–19 at the American University of Kurdistan, convened regional leaders, diplomats, and academics under the theme: “Managed Chaos – A New Middle East?” Now in its sixth edition, the forum is co-hosted with Cambridge University, the Atlantic Council, Carnegie’s Crisis Response Council, and the London School of Economics.
