“The Kurdistan Region and Iran’s ties are historic,” Barzani said in a one-on-one conversation with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh. “Day by day, these relations are developing.”
President Barzani arrived in Iran on Saturday to participate in the Tehran Dialogue Forum, which is taking place on Sunday and Monday. His visit came at the official invitation of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
In his speech, Barzani praised the Islamic republic for its support to the Kurdistan Region, especially during the years-long fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
“As neighbors, Iran has helped us through all our problems in history,” Barzani said. “In the fight against ISIS, Iran was one of the first countries to help us.”
He also commented on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in September, his first foreign visit since assuming office.
“When we were informed that President Pezeshkian was visiting Baghdad, I asked him to visit Erbil,” Barzani said.
Erbil-Baghdad issues
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi federal government have long been at loggerheads on multiple issues, and both governments have accused each other of failing to pay the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants’ salaries.
During his speech, President Barzani criticized Baghdad for not implementing federalism in the country, as stipulated by the constitution.
“Iraq, by definition, has a federal system, but unfortunately, we have yet to achieve federalism in Iraq,” he lamented, adding that the issues between Erbil and Baghdad will “all be resolved” if the Iraqi government “implements the Iraqi constitution by definition.”
“We must sit together and discuss the framework of the new Iraq. The federalism issue with the Kurdistan Region must be completely resolved,” Barzani stressed.
Speaking at the Erbil Forum in February, Barzani criticized Baghdad for being “so central” in its decision-making, noting that “such centralism does not exist anywhere else in the world.”
Barzani last traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Pezeshkian as president on July 30, 2024.
He is set to meet with Pezeshkian during his two-day visit this time, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.
In May 2024, President Barzani also visited Tehran and held meetings with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, then-President Ebrahim Raisi, and Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf.
He soon returned to Tehran to attend Raisi’s funeral.
The Kurdistan Region and Iran enjoy good ties. During a forum in Sulaimani in April 2024, -President Barzani said that Iran has contributed to the economic “success” of the Region.
But the relationship has been strained in recent years by Tehran’s attacks on exiled Kurdish groups and deadly missile strikes on locations that it alleged were Mossad bases in the Region; Erbil has vehemently rejected the claims.
“The Kurdistan Region’s territory has not and will not be a source of threat for Iran,” President Barzani stressed.
Iraq and Iran signed a security pact in March 2023 that saw Baghdad agree to disarm Kurdish opposition groups and secure the border regions. Iran had threatened to use military action if Baghdad failed to fulfill the agreement.
