05 December 2017•Update: 05 December 2017
By Idris Okuducu
ERBIL, Iraq
Baghdad is deliberately destroying the existing political order in Erbil, the municipal capital of northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani, who serves as the KRG’s prime minister, charged Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in Erbil after a weekly KRG cabinet meeting, Barzani said there was “no link” between sanctions being imposed by Baghdad on Erbil and the KRG’s illegitimate Sept. 25 referendum on regional independence.
“Baghdad is trying to use the referendum as justification for wrecking the pre-existing political order in the Kurdish region,” he declared.
Ties between Baghdad and the KRG have been deeply strained since late September, when the latter held an illegitimate referendum on regional independence.
At the time, most regional and international actors -- including Turkey -- had voiced stern opposition to the poll, with many warning it would only further destabilize the already-volatile region.
Following the referendum, Iraqi government forces moved into several parts of the country “disputed” between Baghdad and Erbil, including the oil-rich Kirkuk province.
Iraq’s central government also imposed a raft of sanctions on the KRG, including a ban on all international flights into and out of the Kurdish region.
According to PM Barzani, the sanctions -- including the flight ban -- have resulted in “serious pressures” on the region’s people.
“I call on [Iraqi PM Haider] al-Abadi to act responsibly,” he said. “There is now serious pressure on a particular part of Iraq, namely, the Kurdish region.”
Talking Turkey
Barzani also spoke about the KRG’s “good” ties with Ankara.
“We have very good relations with Turkey; channels for dialogue are always open,” he said, pointing to a recent visit to Paris by a KRG delegation that had been conducted via Turkey.
“We had hoped to conduct our foreign visits via Iraq, but this didn’t happen [due to the flight ban],” Barzani said.
He added: “Turkey helped [us] so much [to conduct the Paris visit] and we thank them.”
