PM Barzani says independence issue will be negotiated with Baghdad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani said in an interview with the Voice of America (VOA) that the liberation of Mosul and its control is important for the Kurdish region due to its geographical closeness and that Kurdistan’s borders must be clearly defined in this war.

 

“Therefore, the liberation of Mosul is very important for the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG],” Barzani said in the interview, adding that the operation to retake the city from its Islamic State (ISIS) occupiers is only in the planning stage.

“There are two reasons … From the military and security point of view, who will control the city in the future? The control of the city must be carefully evaluated,” PM Barzani told VOA. “In my view, who controls the city after the liberation is of utmost importance. Aside from this, the Iraqi Army is not adequately ready and could take months to get ready.”

 

On the Kurdish independence issue Barzani stressed that it will be negotiated with Baghdad.

“What is important for us after Daesh [ISIS] is Kurdistan’s borders. We will decide the extent of our borders by what has been liberated with the blood of our Peshmerga,” he stated, adding, “At this stage neither Ankara nor Iran will be the deciding factor [in Kurdish independence]. We will solve the problems through negotiations with Baghdad.” 

 

The Kurdish prime minister also said that his government is working with the United Nations to prepare for an expected 500,000 new refugees coming to the Kurdistan Region when the battle for Mosul begins. A battle which Barzani believes might not take too long. 

“In the operation to liberate Fallujah, Diyala … we anticipated much more resistance. If the trends are what we have seen, I do not think the operation will take long,” he reasoned. 

Barzani explained that the severe financial crisis the Kurdistan Region has been grappling with in the last two years was caused by Baghdad blocking the region’s share of the national budget, a costly ongoing war against ISIS and the massive influx of refugees from Iraq and Syria.

On Turkey’s failed coup attempt earlier this month, the Kurdish prime minister said that past military coups have had dreadful consequences for the Kurds.

 

In the VOA interview Barzani said that his government has always worked for best relations with its neighboring countries.

 

“Our friendly relations with Iran are very important for us,” he stressed. “In the past, we have proven that we have been a factor of stability, both for Iran and Turkey, and in the past for Syria. This is the framework of our foreign policy.”