The President of the Republic, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, attended the graduation ceremony of students at the American University in Dohuk yesterday, Sunday. The ceremony was also attended by Acting Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, and Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani. In a speech at the celebration, the President congratulated the students on the occasion of their graduation from the college, wishing them lasting success. He stressed, according to a presidential statement today: 'Graduating students bear the honor of responsibility for developing and advancing the country and compensating for the decades of dictatorship, wars, destruction, and decline in many aspects of life,' expressing his hope to raise the academic levels of universities in a way that helps develop qualifications. He pointed out that the Presidency of the Republic is working to strengthen the relationship between the fe deral government and the regional government, and is keen to follow up on the disbursement of the special budget in the region and other governorates. It also seeks to achieve justice among citizens by addressing the file of prisoners and detainees and releasing those whose sentences have expired. The President added that the security progress and stability of the country help to develop and strengthen Iraq's international and regional relations and with neighboring countries, and they also strengthen the efforts of the Iraqi authorities to reject the aggression against Iraq and any violation of the country's sovereignty, stressing the keenness to intensify efforts in security issues and agreements with neighboring countries, rejecting that Iraq will be a starting point for attacking neighboring countries. Source: National Iraqi News Agency