The Iran Fars News Agency recently released two films on Erbil. Both films distort facts, insult our Peshmerga and leadership, and ignore the confidence of our people.

Achievements during the war against ISIS were a function of efforts and assistance from many sources – the Kurdistan Region’s security services, especially our Peshmerga, Baghdad forces, and international forces and military assistance from many countries, including our immediate neighbors Turkey and Iran.

Iran’s early support was especially important in stopping the ISIS onslaught. This support enabled a coalition to form that turned back the tide of turmoil and tragedy. It offered opportunity for relations to improve among all partners involved in this mutual critically important endeavor.

The films by an official Iranian agency portray an alternative false and harmful reality that attempts to sabotage mutually beneficial relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Particularly, the films endeavor to sever the important bonds built by Iran’s Commander Qasim Suleimani with our Region during a period when military support from Iran was most vital.

During severely difficult periods, we remember with deep appreciation the welcome and assistance many thousands of us received in Iran during the despotic regime of Saddam Hussein. Since the Kurdistan Regional Government was formed in 1992, we have endeavored to build mutually beneficial, friendly, and productive relations with all our neighbors.

These films – intended to harm our peaceful relations by insulting our fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives against a mutual foe – are destructive and only serve to generate harmful divisions and avoidable discord. Despite these attacks, our Kurdistan Region will continue to be a peaceful place open to people of all ethnicities and religions.

We urge the Islamic Republic of Iran to desist in such destructive measures by taking appropriate action towards ensuring the sacred well-being of both the Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iran is promoted and preserved.

Nechirvan Barzani
President of the Kurdistan Region
Erbil, 26 January 2021