Barzani’s trip to Tehran marks an important development
The visit of Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with a high-ranking delegation to Tehran and meeting and talking with high-ranking officials of Iran, including Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, is important from political, security, cultural and economic aspects.
1. Creating political will for bilateral cooperation is first priority, and political will is achieved in the shadow of mutual trust. Barzani’s trip to Tehran shows the serious will of the parties to expand friendly relations, which were faced with a kind of mistrust due to the interference of third parties, especially the Israeli regime. The presence of the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in Tehran can build confidence on the Iranian side that this region will not act on the side of Iran’s enemies in the future and will deal with any threats against Iran from its own soil. Tehran’s warm welcome to Barzani also indicates Iran’s will to establish stable relations with the Kurdistan Region and expand cooperation in the direction of providing nations with benefits.
2. In terms of security, the parties highlighted the need to implement the provisions of the Iran-Iraq joint security cooperation agreement, especially the expulsion of terrorist groups from areas close to Iran’s borders and efforts to disarm them. One of the tricks of the Zionist regime and the United States is to destroy Iran’s relations with Iraq in general and the Kurdistan Region in particular. Today, after Operation True Promise, the United States and the Israeli regime have realized that the Islamic Republic of Iran, in order to provide its own security, has sufficient capabilities and any hostile activity against this country will be met with a decisive and regret-inducing response. Understanding this situation, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq learned from Iranian officials that the government and people of Iran regard the security of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region as their own security. Just as the IRGC Quds Force under the command of Martyr General Qassem Soleimani rushed to the aid of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region during the time of ISIS, they will support the Kurdistan region’s security in the future as well.
3. In the cultural dimension, considering the religious, historical and civilizational commonalities and the deep ties between the two sides, this trip created suitable opportunities for the development of cultural, scientific, academic and media relations, which should be achieved with planning and follow-up. Common customs and language are among the most important indicators of Kurdish identity on both sides of the Iran-Iraq border, which is the basis of political relations and strengthens the trust between the parties. Based on this, building the capacity and empowering the country’s cultural, media and higher education institutions to attract the cultural elites of Iraqi Kurdistan and use the positive attitude of the Iraqi Kurds should be considered by the country’s officials.
4. The most important aspect of Iran’s relations with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in the future should be seen as unique opportunities for economic development and strengthening the industrial, agricultural, energy and technology sectors. Iran’s good neighborliness policy can boost the level of economic relations. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the only country that has two consulates in the region at the same time, and between two to three thousand visas are issued daily from these consulates for Iraqi Kurdish travelers. This volume of traffic and exchanges can lead to an increase in air flights and facilitate the communication of the private sectors of the parties. The fact that sometimes the volume of commercial exchanges between Iran and the Kurdistan Region has reached about $2 billion and $500 million is also a confirmation of their unique economic capacities.
Economical prices of goods, easy access, short trade routes, and the existence of mines including the largest sulfur reserves in the southwest of Erbil, which are used in the production of chemical fertilizers and pest control of farms, are among the capacities that can be discussed in bilateral relations. It is expected that the development of Iran’s economic cooperation with the Kurdistan Region will cut off the economic arteries of this region with the Zionist regime. A high percentage of Israel’s oil imports come from Iraqi Kurdistan, which cannot be pleasant to the noble Kurds.
All in all, Barzani’s presence in Iran and his sincere recognition of Iran’s friendship with the Kurds is a turning point in mutual relations and if followed up by the relevant officials, it can be the forerunner of strengthening trust and political will for cooperation and in security, economic and cultural dimensions, more be expanded in advance.
