KRG in 'constant dialogue' with Baghdad to help solve national issues: Kurdistan president at Davos

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani discussed Iraq’s recent dramatic political and security developments in a panel on Thursday at this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

“The new Iraqi generation is tired of the situation where they feel the government cannot provide them a minimum modern living requirement,” Barzani said, referring to anti-corruption protests that are now in their fourth month. Barzani explained that the demonstrations began because, although there is a national election every four years, they fall short of resulting in the democracy that Iraqis have been promised since 2003.

“The new generation in Iraq is taking part in that election, however, the elected personals are not those who they desire.” 

“Iraq’s current status is different from that before the protests, as in before Oct. 1st, 2019. Iraq cannot go back to the way things were before Oct. 1st,” said Barzani to the panel, stressing that it is crucial for Iraqi politicians to understand that the public is demanding real change in the political system.

The Kurdish leader also emphasized that the solution is in the hands of Iraqi citizens themselves, as they need to debate the issues among themselves and find lasting solutions to the multiple problems Iraq is facing.   

“The situation in Iraq is also affecting the Kurdistan Region as we are part of the country,” he said, adding that, in the Kurdistan Region, “our role is to de-escalate the tension, and the KRG is in constant dialogue with Baghdad to help find a solution to the crisis.”

In another segment of the roundtable discussion, President Barzani touched on the controversial subject of the presence of the United States' military forces in Iraq, saying, “The threat of terrorism in Iraq is a serious one, and it was upon Iraq’s request in 2014 that foreign troops arrived in Iraq.”

“The US troop’s task is to train the Iraqi forces and aid them in the fight against the terrorist group ISIS, and in that light, we believe it is in the best interest of Iraq for the US forces to stay, and the Iraqi parliament's reaction was not the right move.” 

On Wednesday, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Washington, told Kurdistan 24 in an interview that US President Donald Trump and President Barzani hit it off well on a personal level when they met at the WEF forum that day. 

Read More: KRG Envoy: Good rapport between President Trump and President Barzani

Barzani also argued, “The situation in Syria is complicated, and the worldwide countries did not have any prior contingency plans for it. Neither have they had a clear one now, nevertheless, the Kurdistan Region will support the Kurds in Syria to reach a political solution.”  

The WEF holds its forum every year in late January. This year’s summit is entitled, “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World,” and is focusing on pressing global economic, political, and security issues.   

Editing by John J. Catherine