The visit of the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, to the Iranian capital, Tehran, is gaining importance at various levels. While a political source reveals that the goal of the visit is to help Iran by postponing the region’s elections, and to relieve Baghdad’s pressure on the region, Kurdish politicians indicate that the visit aims to end the threat from Iran and the Anti-Erbil Iraqi factions.
An informed source reveals to Al Aalem Al Jadeed that “Barzani’s visit will include dialogues with Iranian officials whom he will meet regarding the issue of the Kurdistan Parliament elections, as the region’s president will ask the Iranian side to influence the Kurdish parties with whom Tehran has relations, such as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Change Movement, so that they agree to postpone the Kurdistan region elections.”
The source adds, “Barzani, in his capacity as President of the Kurdistan Region, can issue a regional decree postponing the Kurdistan elections, but this decision will be a partisan decision, as he holds the position of Vice President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.”
He explains, “Barzani will also ask Tehran to talk to officials in the Shiite forces to stop putting pressure on the Kurdistan region, especially by the Federal Court,” adding that “Barzani’s visit to Iran came after despair of the Americans who did not help the region.”
Barzani arrived Sunday afternoon, in the Iranian capital, Tehran. According to a statement by the regional presidency, Barzani is scheduled to discuss with senior officials in Iran ways to strengthen relations between Iran and Iraq and the Kurdistan region, noting that the visit was in response to an official invitation from the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is accompanied by a delegation that includes the Vice President, the Minister of Interior of the Kurdistan Region, the Chief of the Presidential Office, and a number of Kurdistan Region officials.
Barzani’s last visit to Tehran was two years and nine months ago.
For his part, Kurdish politician Sardar Mustafa said, during an interview with Al Aalem Al Jadeed, that “the Kurdistan Democratic Party realized the importance of Iran for solving many of the problems that the Kurdistan region is suffering from at the present time.”
Mustafa adds, “The most important goal of the visit is to reform relations between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Iranian side, after the recent tensions, disagreements, Iranian bombing of Erbil, and direct accusations of cooperation with Israel and America.”
He adds, “The other step is Barzani’s desire to regain Iranian support by putting pressure on the Iraqi political forces to resolve the controversial issues between Baghdad and Erbil, the most important of which is the issue of the budget, salaries, oil and gas.”
It is believed that “the visit will mark an end to the threats issued by Iran and the armed factions loyal to it against the region, since Barzani realizes that the movements of the factions and the forces of the coordination framework are in the hands of Tehran, so he went to them directly this time.”
Relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iran have witnessed a noticeable decline in recent years, especially after the assassination of Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani in early 2020.
Iran has always enjoyed close relations and great influence within the Kurdistan region, to the point that it was a safe haven for the Kurds during the rule of Saddam Hussein, and embraced thousands of them, including the leader of the Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani, and his family in the 1980s. It also contributed to resolving many complex Kurdish issues, where among them are the issue of the referendum, the issues of the conflict between Baghdad and Erbil, or even the internal conflict between the Kurdish parties, specifically between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union.
For his part, the head of the Kurdistan Regional Office, Fawzi Hariri, stated during an interview with “Al Aalem Al Jadeed” that “Barzani’s visit to Tehran came based on an invitation extended to him by the Iranian presidency.”
Hariri adds, “Iran is a neighbor and friendly country with which we have strategic relations, so we want to restore those relations at the highest level, in all political, security, and economic fields.”
He points out that “the Kurdistan region was clear from the beginning that it wanted to remain as a mediating party in the conflict between Iran and the United States, and we are not with one country against another country, and we have excellent relations with both parties, and what is best for us is for the conflict to end, because this conflict is neither in our interest nor of The interests of the countries of the region in general.”
Recently, relations between the two parties became tense, to the point where the Iranian Revolutionary Guard bombed the city of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, on more than one occasion, claiming the presence of Israeli Mossad headquarters.
The Democrat’s response at the time was severe, accusing Iran of being unable to confront Israel and the United States and strengthening its control over the Kurdistan region. The matter did not stop there, as the operations of armed factions close to Iran were targeting the city of Erbil on a daily basis, under the pretext of targeting American interests.
For his part, Dilshad Shaaban, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, confirmed, during an interview with Al Aalem Al Jadeed, that “Iran is an important country and we want to open new relations with it and turn the page on the problems and disputes that have occurred recently.”
Shaaban adds: “No one denies the power of Iran and its influence on the Iraqi scene, so this visit will be used for the purpose of finding a solution to complex issues between Baghdad and Erbil, including the budget crisis, salaries, the oil file, and others.”
He explains, “The recent period witnessed great pressure from the Iraqi political forces, and the judiciary card was used to try to limit the region, but we hope that this matter will end quickly, and the issues and problems with Baghdad will be resolved by resorting to the constitution.”
It is noteworthy that, over the past two years, the Federal Supreme Court issued many decisions that were in the interest of the federal government but were considered by the Kurdistan Democratic Party to be “politicized against it.”
