Masrour Barzani: We are a great respect for Saudi Arabia … and we understand Iranian concerns
The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Masroor Barzani, said today, Monday, that the region’s authorities have been a great respect for the Saudi leadership and the Saudi people, and hope that Saudi investors will look at Kurdistan as a promising area for investment.
Barzani added, during an interview with the “Al -Sharq” channel, that the region “has historical relations with the government and the Saudi people,” and stressed: “We are ready to enhance cooperation.”
Regarding the relationship with Iran, the Kurdish official affirmed that Iran is a major neighboring country, and that the Kurdistan region “understands Iranian security concerns”, but he believes that some of these concerns are “exaggerated.”
Syria and Turkey
On the recent situation in Syria, Barzani announced the region’s readiness to play the role of mediation between the Syrian government and the Kurdish parties there. He expressed his hope that Syria will have a comprehensive government, which respects the rights of all components, and that everyone can eventually get out of the ashes of the wars that the country has witnessed over many years.
Barzani described the relationship with Türkiye as “very good”, pointing to the gradual improvement in bilateral relations over the past years, and the existence of strong commercial and economic relations between the two parties. He added that Türkiye did not interfere in the internal political affairs of the region, despite the continued tensions due to the presence of the PKK in the border areas, welcoming the talks between Türkiye and the “Kurdistan Workers” to end the war.
Attacks
Barzani said that the authorities in Kurdistan know the parties behind the attacks on their oil facilities, which occurred earlier this month using drones, indicating that he will wait for the results of the investigation.
He pointed out that these attacks coincided with the signing of the region’s government on deals with American companies in the energy sector, and added: “The United States is an ally, and we exchange intelligence with it regarding the attacks on our oil facilities, because some of the targeted fields are managed by American companies.”
The Kurdistan region of Iraq recently witnessed a serious escalation in the attacks on its vital oil facilities, most of which were carried out using car bombs, and not only these attacks caused heavy material losses, but also led to a significant disruption in oil production. The Kurdistan Regional Government accuses armed factions supported by Iran of being behind these attacks, noting the use of Iranian -made drones.
The agenda of the next government
Regarding the agenda of the next government in the region, Barzani said that it will rely on its agenda on the continuity of the current and current government program, with a focus on achieving a balance in the distribution of positions between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Kurdistan National Union, pointing out that “there is a clear intention to reach an agreement consistent with the results of the recent elections in the region.”
Although more than 10 months have passed since the parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the process of forming the new government is still facing many obstacles as a result of party differences between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Kurdistan National Union.
Regarding the salary file, Barzani criticized what he described as the Iraqi government, the issue of paying the salaries of the region’s employees, a political pressure paper in the context of the dispute between the two sides, indicating that this is a constitutional violation.
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