Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Tehran on Sunday and has held talks with the high-ranking Iranian official on Monday. This is the fourth such a visit by Barzani in the past ten years both the Kurdistan prime minister or the head of the region.
The ongoing visit is taking place at a highly sensitive era which adds to its importance. This trip, which is mostly aimed at improving relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iran, especially after the political and security ups and downs between Tehran and Erbil last year, is very important diplomatically for the Kurdistan Region and Iran.
Nechirvan Barzani, a moderate Kurdish politician has come to Tehran with a clear message of Erbil's desire to expand and strengthen all-out relations with Iran.
After the deep relations between Tehran and Erbil faced tension following the events of the past year and following Iran's missile attack on Israeli Mossad's secret base in Erbil, this trip clearly shows that Iran, Iraq and the Kurdistan region are neighbors, friends and strategic partners and their deep bond is unbreakable.
The following points sheds light on why the Kurdish delegation’s visit matters a lot:
Iran-Iraq security pact
The Kurdish delegation and the Iranain officials will discuss the existing security agreement signed by Iran and Iraq in Baghdad in 2023. Presenting a complete report on the implementation process of the security agreement and Erbil's efforts to implement the clauses of this agreement, which led to the withdrawal of adversary armed Kurdish groups from the shared borders between Iran and the Kurdistan Region and their disarmament will be one the main topics in the Tehran talks between the Kurdish delegation and the high-ranking Iranian officials.
Barzani will assure Iran:
Although the Kurdistan Region has never had a normal and official relationship with the foreign security services against Iran, from time to time the Islamic Republic has criticized the Kurdish for the secret presence of the security services of hostile countries near the shared borders and their efforts to undermine the security of the country. In response to these security issues between Iran and Erbil, the authorities of the Kurdistan region have always announced that they will never allow the north of Iraq to be a threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
On this trip, the security, military and political partners will be reviewed and emphasized along with the economic and commercial prospects between the Kurdistan Region and Iran.
Significant economic relations between Iran and Kurdistan region
Iran and the Kurdistan Region have 230 km of shared borders only at the Iranian Kordestan Province, without taking into account Kermanshah and West Azarbaijan provinces in west and northwest Iran respectively. The high volume of trade and economic interactions with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, especially through the Bashmaq border crossing in Marivan County, has made both sides to attach special importance to their economic and trade relations. The Iranian consulate general in Sulaimaniyah has said that the volume of trade between Iran and the Kurdistan Region before last year's tensions had reached about $2.5 billion, and that both sides are trying to increase that trade volume, which plays a significant role in bypassing the Western sanctions for Iran.
Cultural and social exchanges and interactions
The development of full-fledged cultural and social relations and the strengthening of border diplomacy is another axis that is very important in the good relations between Iran and the Kurdistan Region, and the parties would emphasize strengthening this. Cultural relations and interactions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government have always been the basis for other levels. These relations between Tehran and Erbil have never been welcomed by the enemies of the two nations of Iran and Iraq including the United States and Israel. They have tried to undermine these relations by waging a media warfare; a dirty strategy that the vigilance of the authorities of the Islamic Republic and the efforts of the officials of Iraq and the region have been neutralized in the past years.
Tehran's support for Erbil
Despite the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran enjoys a superior position in the entire region and Iraq, it has never interfered in their internal affairs. The Islamic Republic of Iran has assisted its friends in Iraq and other countries at their request; In the war with Iraqi dictator Saddam and in the effort to establish the Kurdistan region, Iran assisted the Kurds in achieving their goals. Iran also stood by the Iraqi Kurds in the fight against ISIL.
Whenever the Kurdistan region has sought help from Iran to resolve political crises, Tehran has stepped forward to help. It has helped in resolving differences between the Kurdish parties and the Iraqi Shia and Sunni political groups. This mediating role on the part of Iran becomes even more relevant during Mr. Barzani’s trip as the Baghdad and Erbil’s differences linger on over the issue of oil exports, the postponement of the Kurdistan Parliament elections and the suspension of the region's budget share by Baghdad.
By: Halimeh Mollaei, Mehr Kurdish staff member
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