ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Russian authorities have worked out details of arms deliveries to the Kurdistan Region with Baghdad, which will handle the transfers, the Russian ambassador to Iraq said. "If we're talking about deliveries free of charge to Iraqi Kurdistan in order to strengthen the capacity of the Kurdish Peshmerga self-defense forces, this is done in coordination with the Iraqi government in Baghdad, where Russian planes arrive for customs procedures and to obtain consent to proceed to Erbil," Ilya Morgunov, the Russian ambassador to Iraq, was quoted as saying by Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency. Morgunov explained that the Kurds "are primarily supplied with small and medium firearms and ammunition."He said there were no issues over military deliveries to the Peshmerga from the Russian side."All issues regarding military deliveries to Iraq from the Russian side… are discussed with representatives of the federal Iraqi government in Baghdad or Moscow. The weapons are delivered to Iraqi customers as they are produced by Russian enterprises, in accordance with timelines outlined in contracts," Morgunov said. Kurdistan is requesting military aid from Russia to assist in its fight against ISIS, Russia’s Ria Novosti agency quoted Aso Talabani, a Moscow representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as saying. "The Kurdish Peshmerga has enough soldiers, but we do not have enough weapons such as anti-aircraft guns, small arms, anti-tank weapons and ammunition," he told Ria Novosti.Russia also aims to fortify its position in Kurdistan with Russian companies expanding their presence in the autonomous region, Morgunov said, adding this had been discussed with Kurdish President Masoud Barzani and other authorities and officials. In earlier comments, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in February that Moscow had sent some arms to Iraq's Kurds, shortly after they were threatened by Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists."We took into account the Kurds' need in the supplies of our arms to Iraq, but these supplies were made through the central government, through Baghdad," Lavrov had said, according to the TASS news agency. Kurdish officials welcome military aid from around the world in their fight against ISIS, but say maintain that arms transfers through Baghdad are delayed for many reasons, including a running row with the central government over independence and oil exports. Germany is among a few countries that have gone ahead with direct arms to the Peshmerga while most other allies, including the United States, insist on sending arms through Baghdad.
