Iran
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani speaks to reporters in Erbil on September 13, 2023. Photo: screengrab/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday said that both Baghdad and Erbil have recently taken steps to meet Iran’s demands for disarming Kurdish exiled groups along the border, adding that this would not leave room for any pretext for an Iranian military operation.
Tehran has long accused the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of harboring opposition groups it considers “terrorists” and allowing them to use the border areas as a launchpad for attacks against Iran.
In March, Iran and Iraq signed a border protection deal, in which Baghdad agreed to a September 19 deadline to disarm the Kurdish opposition groups and secure the border regions. The Iranian military in July threatened to take action if Baghdad fails to meet the deadline.
During a press conference on Wednesday, President Barzani said that the Kurdistan Region is also committed to the security pact between Tehran and Baghdad and does not want to become a source of threat to its neighboring countries, whether that is Iran or Turkey.
“In full cooperation and coordination with Baghdad, some important steps have been taken, and we hope those steps result in preventing any security or military problems. I personally believe there is no pretext for a military operation,” President Barzani told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman during the presser.
The Kurdistan Region president met with Iran's ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadeq in Erbil on Monday, stressing that the Region will not allow any security threats against Iran.
Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein is set to visit Tehran on Wednesday and discuss the agreement with Iranian officials, less than a week before the deadline provided by the Islamic republic is set to expire.
Budget issues
President Barzani said that he and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masorur Barzani were both in constant contact with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in hopes of resolving the budget issues between Erbil and Baghdad.
Delegations of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi federal government have held talks in recent months, aimed at resolving the lingering issues relating to the Region’s share in the federal budget.
Last week, Baghdad said it would send Erbil 500 billion Iraqi dinars (close to $382 million) as part of a “loan agreement” to cover the salaries of Erbil’s public servants. The KRG has said that the amount provided by Baghdad is not enough to meet the needs of the Region.
President Barzani said that the KRG has complied with all its obligations to Baghdad prior to the passing of the federal budget, adding that financing the salaries of the Region’s public servants is the “legitimate right” of the people of the Region as citizens of Iraq.
He called on Baghdad to keep the issue of providing salaries separated from any other political differences, urging both governments to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve the lingering issues.
PM Barzani on Wednesday announced that he was set to visit Baghdad in the upcoming days in hopes of “resolving the issues and disagreements in a peaceful manner.”
President Barzani expressed hope that the PM’s visit to Baghdad would result in resolving the disagreements with the federal government, also expressing his willingness to visit Baghdad “if need be.”
The KRG has failed to pay its civil servants on time and in full for several years due to the financial crisis. Public sector employees have not been paid for the months of July and August following several failed deals with Baghdad.
Iraq passed its highly-contentious budget bill for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025 in June, which includes a record $152 billion in spending, of which the Kurdistan Region’s share is 12.6.
Tehran has long accused the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of harboring opposition groups it considers “terrorists” and allowing them to use the border areas as a launchpad for attacks against Iran.
In March, Iran and Iraq signed a border protection deal, in which Baghdad agreed to a September 19 deadline to disarm the Kurdish opposition groups and secure the border regions. The Iranian military in July threatened to take action if Baghdad fails to meet the deadline.
During a press conference on Wednesday, President Barzani said that the Kurdistan Region is also committed to the security pact between Tehran and Baghdad and does not want to become a source of threat to its neighboring countries, whether that is Iran or Turkey.
“In full cooperation and coordination with Baghdad, some important steps have been taken, and we hope those steps result in preventing any security or military problems. I personally believe there is no pretext for a military operation,” President Barzani told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman during the presser.
The Kurdistan Region president met with Iran's ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadeq in Erbil on Monday, stressing that the Region will not allow any security threats against Iran.
Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein is set to visit Tehran on Wednesday and discuss the agreement with Iranian officials, less than a week before the deadline provided by the Islamic republic is set to expire.
Budget issues
President Barzani said that he and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masorur Barzani were both in constant contact with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in hopes of resolving the budget issues between Erbil and Baghdad.
Delegations of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi federal government have held talks in recent months, aimed at resolving the lingering issues relating to the Region’s share in the federal budget.
Last week, Baghdad said it would send Erbil 500 billion Iraqi dinars (close to $382 million) as part of a “loan agreement” to cover the salaries of Erbil’s public servants. The KRG has said that the amount provided by Baghdad is not enough to meet the needs of the Region.
President Barzani said that the KRG has complied with all its obligations to Baghdad prior to the passing of the federal budget, adding that financing the salaries of the Region’s public servants is the “legitimate right” of the people of the Region as citizens of Iraq.
He called on Baghdad to keep the issue of providing salaries separated from any other political differences, urging both governments to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve the lingering issues.
PM Barzani on Wednesday announced that he was set to visit Baghdad in the upcoming days in hopes of “resolving the issues and disagreements in a peaceful manner.”
President Barzani expressed hope that the PM’s visit to Baghdad would result in resolving the disagreements with the federal government, also expressing his willingness to visit Baghdad “if need be.”
The KRG has failed to pay its civil servants on time and in full for several years due to the financial crisis. Public sector employees have not been paid for the months of July and August following several failed deals with Baghdad.
Iraq passed its highly-contentious budget bill for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025 in June, which includes a record $152 billion in spending, of which the Kurdistan Region’s share is 12.6.
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