Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Following an official invitation to attend the Munich Security Conference, MSC, which will be held in Tehran, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, will visit Tehran on 17 October.

The gathering will be co-hosted with the Institute for Political and International Studies, and held in cooperation with the governments of Germany and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It will be held as part of MSC Core Group Meeting series, which will focus on “the implementation of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, Iran's regional role, the security architecture in the Middle East as well as the economic and energy policy implications of the Vienna agreement”, Munich Security Conference website stated.

Besides German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Zarif, “participants also include the Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, the Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Idris Barzani, the United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, the Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid, the President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly Élisabeth Guigou and the Chairman of the German Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee Norbert Röttgen, as well as governmental representatives from various Arab states, numerous parliamentarians from European countries and NGO representatives”, said MSC website.

In a statement to Kurdistan Regional Government website, Sami Ergoushi, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister’s press officer said, “It is expected that Prime Minister Barzani will meet, during his visit, a number of officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Nazem Dabbagh the representative of Kurdistan Region of Iraq in Iran in talk with the reporter of International Service of Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) dealt with the present challenges of the relationship between Kurdistan and central government, of the fight with ISIS, of the way to control crises and of Kurdistan’s relations with Iran and Turkey whose outlines as followed:

He does not consider Iranians and Kurds as two separate nations and believes that the cultural and historical similarities have caused Kurds of Iraq have continually deemed Iranians as a part of their own. Dabbagh said: thousands of workforces now are in Kurdistan helping to improve there. In the Region we know Iranians of our own. In Kurds’ view Iranian citizens in the Region are recognized than other foreigners. We call them Iranian but others foreigners. When you travel to Kurdistan, you most often feel that you are in Iran as a result of lots of cultural similarities of both.

It has been said some of anti-revolution Kurdish cells now present in Kurdistan of Iraq and even are busy trying works, Nazem Dabbagh stated: this is known by Iranian government and these cells, according to present agreements, are not allowed to make any effort against Iran’s interests.

Denying any relations with Israel, Dabbagh said: no documents relating this has not given to Kurdistan Region so far. Some are following to create deep differences between us and Iran and through putting such things. They are seeking their aims but we as the representative of the Region in Iran have not heard even once such matter on the behalf of our authorities in any official meetings but just in few News Agencies, he added. Our relations with Israel are according to the constitution of Iraq, Does anyone believe that Kurdish are following to cause problems with Arabian nations and Iran for Israel!?

Concerning with important problem of “the independence of Kurds” being considered a vital security concern for neighbors, Iran in special, Nazem Dabbagh also stated: the matter of Independence of Kurds and of having an independent country is not only being put among Kurdish leaders but it also is all Kurds’ heartfelt desire from all over the world; however, desiring independence differentiate from declaring it. Declaring independence requires its special conditions and in my view it is not now prepared.

Relating the difference between Kurdistan Regional Government and Central Government of Iraq, Dabbagh said: in the past to cut the budget of the Region on the behalf of the Central Government caused Kurds to begin selling oil, aside from its being legal or not. There were not any other ideas. We are selling our oil and have come to an agreement, early in following Christian year, to do this with Central Government’s cooperation. It also pays us the money of sold oil; in spite of exporting oil according to the agreement with federal government, Baghdad denied to pay it us. These problems can be solved. We, monthly, sell $800 million oil and this earning was deposited to government’s treasury; however we have never been paid more than $400 million.

Dabbagh added: Pishmegas are one of the important forces fighting against ISIS now strongly defending the Region as a part of Iraq. They were fighting across Iraq, though. Pishmergas have many times fought in Basra, Karbala, Najaf, Baghdad and other regions in Iraq. Central government can make use of Pishmergas’ high ability, why did not Maliki (the former Prime Minister of Iraq) take advantage of Pishmergas to support Mosul?

The head of Kurdistan Regional Representative Office added: our differences with central government are how to perform the constitution. But now we along with forces have practically released the regions in dispute occupied by ISIS. If there were not Pishmerga, the same regions were under ISIS’s control. Now the matter is to put the released zones in dispute go into the frame of constitution.

In another part of his phrasing as denying any rift among Kurds and confronting ISIS Dabbagh said: all Kurds including Pishmerga of the Region, P.K.K and Syrian Kurds in fight with ISIS are unified, and this unification strength 1050 km of battlefield with ISIS. There may be differences but just on little problems and military tactics. Kurds have not got basic differences about this.

Dabbagh was asked for Turkey’s strike to the North of Syria and providing a safe zone, he replied: every country has to respect others’ laws. To create such safe zone refers to international rules whether it is allowed to do or not. If such act leads to prevent blooding and massacring non-armies, it is acceptable. However it is just not over Turkey but international societies to come up with decision and also it refers a bit to interior affairs of Syria.         

Kurds Press/ Nazem Dabbagh the official representative of Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq in Iran through an interview with Kurdish news site, Avineh, answered some questions relating about current concerns of the Region especially the position of the presidency of Kurdistan which has turned out to be a crisis in the Region for it is approaching to the end of Mr. Barezani’s presidency period, and Iran’s role in these changes as followed:

Relating to the rumors about the role of General Qassem Soleimani to extend the presidency of the Region for another two years Dabbagh claimed to be ignorant of that. Concerning with type of Iran’s interfere in ISIS concern Dabbagh continued: Iran’s policy is relied on supporting the union and correlation of political movements of the Kurdish Region and helping solve the problems and differences. It desires to deal with the problems according to rules of the Region, but I have no more information about its details.

About the positions of Dr. Reza Amiri Moghaddam, the Middle East general manager of national security supreme council of Iran expressed at the presence of Dabbagh and the officials of the Region he said: the meeting in which I presented I noticed that Iran’s view toward the presidency of the Region is that the presidency concern should be solves with the participation and presence of parties and through talking as the Regional Government.

He added: in all meeting and conventions I did not present but in Dr. Ahmadi Moghaddam’s. Iran desires important problems should be solves with cooperate of all parties of the Kurdistan Region. In addition Dabbagh considered the common positions of Patriotic Union, Islamic Union (Guran) and Islamic Group (Komel) to get together effective and said what is said about Iran’s role about this is just rumor.

The reporter of Avineh asked Mr. Dabbagh: Does Iran, in your opinion, have an active present by August 20 to prevent unrest and challenges in the Region?’, Dabbagh replied: now if any unrest and tension occurs in the Region, it will affect Iran and Turkey, in spite of not having detailed information about this, however, I know that after its agreement with 5+1 Iran is trying to act according to plan in order to meet its goals of the agreement; and all countries that were Iran’s allies at tough and hard times have to remain as friends. Iran also has to be their ally as the peace time which Kurds is one of them that during its fighting and being homeless have kept pace with Iran. For this the true policy between Iran and Kurds is that the problems remove. For calmness and stability of the region I.R. of Iran is trying, otherwise why does America agree with Iran and does Iran? All these reasons will lead to stability and agreement. 

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, yesterday received Hassan Danaei-Far, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Iraq and his accompanying delegation.

Ambassador Danaei-Far valued Kurdistan Region for its continuous progress and development, successful campaigns against the Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS, and resistance to the economic difficulties which the Region faces, as well as the Region’s ability to accommodate a significant number of refugees and internally displaced people.

He reiterated his country’s support for the Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, and highlighted bilateral relations, expressing his wishes for further developing these relations.

Prime Minister Barzani thanked the delegation for their visit, describing the relations between Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iran as historic. He said, Iran has been helping Kurdistan Region people in the difficult times.

He expressed his wishes for further developing bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iraq.

The situation in the region, Iraq and the relations between KRG and Iraqi Federal Government were among the topics, discussed in the meeting.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, made a statement on the occasion of the nuclear deal reached between representatives of 5 +1 group of countries, which include the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as Germany and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Following is the text of the statement:

On the occasion of the agreement reached between 5 +1 group of countries and the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the Iranian nuclear file, we extend our congratulations to the leader, the Presidency and the people of Iran. We hope that this agreement will mark the beginning of enhancing cooperation and coordination between the countries and peoples of the world, for the sake of achieving world peace and progress of humanity.

This agreement is the evidence that patience and perseverance in talks and negotiations, constitute the best way to bring about agreement between the nations in the world. On this occasion, we highly value the work achieved by all the negotiating delegations, their cooperation and the relentless efforts of the United Nations in maintaining coordination in order to preserve world peace.

With this in mind, I would like to highlight our friendly relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we are confident that this agreement will be a factor of strengthening and further developing the relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iran in all the fields.

Nechirvan Barzani
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region
15 July 2015

Shafaghna- Nazem Dabbagh the representative of KRG of Iraq in Iran frankly knows Nuri Maliki the present main problem of Iraq and believes that if today Mr. Maliki goes, tomorrow Shia, Kurds and Sunni will be unified in Iraq. Although severely criticizing Maliki for not being obedient to the mutual agreements with Kurds, he knows holding referendum a typical work and Kurds’ right while emphasizing that Kurds want no separation, but prefer a confederation government. He mentioned the Kurds’ cases under dispute with Iraq government of which one is the limits of the Region of Iraq already agreed according to the article 140 of the constitutes of Iraq, another is the case of oil that the region thinks it has not completely assigned to it.

He said that Maliki government formed Iraq army with exorbitant costs but employed Ba’ath officers. He added we told him again and again not to do it but he underestimated it. We observed these officers helped ISIS in their recent attacks and betrayed the army. He rejected the claim saying that Kurds helped ISIS in the attack to Sunni areas of Iraq specially Mosul. Dabbagh went on that for ISIS attack and its occupation of a great part of the country, nowadays Iraq is divided into three sessions of Kurds, Shia and Sunni so that the commuting path from the region to Shia areas turns to footpath. Also Shia of Iraq is insisting on to find a solution to the crisis of the country and believes if Mr. Nuri Maliki goes, the agreements among Iraq tribes will be reformed. 

Shafaghna reporter in talk with Nazem Dabbagh the representative of KRG of Iraq in Iran put the reason of being powerful of ISIS in Iraq and the operation of KRG and Masoud Barzani’s recent phrases concerning the articale140 of the constitutes and Kurdistan region under discussion.

Tehran- IRNA News Agency- Nazem Dabbagh the representative of KRG said: as long as we are supported by Iran, we will not need America’s help. He added: the emergence of terrorist groups is the result of America policies in the region.

 He explained: if we take a look to dictator regimes, we will found most of them are brought by America. Stating the emergence of the current extremist groups in Iraq is the new policy of America he added: the aim of forming these groups in those countries is that they always need them.

Nazem Dabbagh the representative of Kurdistan region of Iraq in Tehran pointing out that Kurds believe to halt ISIS to grow in the region said: we prefer our friends (Iran) to be the forerunner of this.

Nazem Dabbagh the representative KRG in Iran talking with foreign policy and international reporter of Fars News Agency concerning the formation of a real coalition against ISIS said: to attack ISIS as a terrorist group is a general benefit. If these happens any point in the world, it will be good. In my opinion the difference between powers causes ISIS to penetrate deeper in the region. It is no different which the leader of the fighting against ISIS is America, Iran, Kurd or Arab. Their complete destruction is only important. He reminded: Kurds have tribal and geographical considerations in common and is close to this country and it is unchangeable. According to the close relationship with I.R of Iran we welcome this that I.R. of Iran takes more actions against ISIS. In current situations we support to attach ISIS and this is not different, and we have always emphasized that there is a good relation between Iran and Kurdistan Region and we witnessed this in Mr. Zarif news meeting when he was in Erbil concerning how to have bilateral cooperation.

He stated: what I am asking is that not to let these differences on concerns in the region causes ISIS grow. I prefer our friends (Iran) to be forerunner of this. There are Ba’ath and other group grown by Takfiri and it was they who created the Syrian and Iraqi government. Nazem Dabbagh also pointed out at the end: maybe now we witness them weakening but we get carless this weakness causes them to grow. I.R. of Iran, Europe and America have to do something till ISIS get destructed but weakened.