ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Tehran on Sunday for a visit labeled “one of the most important” in the history of relations with Iran by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) representative in the Islamic republic.
“I believe this is one of the most important visits in the long-standing relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iran” Nazim Dabbagh, KRG’s representative in Tehran, told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman, adding that Iran regards Kurds in Iraq as “a strategic ally.”
Barzani is accompanied by KRG’s Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed, Chief of Staff at the Kurdistan Region Presidency Fawzi Hariri, and several other senior officials.
President Barzani is set to meet with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi, and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He is expected to begin his meetings with Iranian officials on Monday.
The Kurdistan Region and Iran enjoy good ties. During a forum in Sulaimani in April, Barzani said that Iran contributed to the economic “success” of the Kurdistan Region.
But that relationship has been strained recently by Tehran’s cross-border attacks on exiled Kurdish groups and deadly missile strikes on locations that it alleged were Mossad bases in the Kurdistan Region.
Dabagh said that although Erbil-Tehran relations have experienced ups and downs over the years, the two sides have always exhibited a willingness to come together and resolve their issues, a dynamic he said is important to maintain.
"In the current situation, and due to the geographical and political necessities in the region, it is not easy for Kurds to give up Iran, nor for Iran to give up Kurds,” he said.
President Barzani’s visit could boost the level of trust between Erbil and Tehran, which has taken a hit in recent years, according to Ardeshir Pashang, an independent international relations researcher.
“In recent years, regional conflicts, along with tensions between Washington and Tehran, as well as between Tehran and Tel Aviv, have negatively impacted relations with the Kurdistan Region, both directly and indirectly… I believe this visit and diplomatic efforts could substantially rebuild the foundational trust between Tehran and Erbil,” Pashang told Rudaw.
“I believe a strong Kurdistan Region can be beneficial for Iran on the political, security and economic sides. And in all cases, the stability, resilience and growth of the Kurdistan Region benefits Iran, and the improvement of that relation benefits Erbil,” he said.
President Barzani last visited Iran in August 2021 to attend Raisi’s inauguration ceremony.
