Kurdish security chief, Turkish FM discuss trade, future of Syria

Erbil (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s top security chief on Monday received Turkey’s foreign minister in Erbil and discussed the latest “regional developments,” including the Syria situation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arrived in Erbil on Sunday evening, received by Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani. The minister’s trip to the Kurdistan Region was on the same day he landed in Baghdad, where he met with senior Iraqi officials and leaders.

A major topic explored in Cavusoglu’s separate meetings with Iraqi and Kurdish officials was the growth of bilateral trade. Turkey has a large business presence in the country and exports many goods while it imports substantial amounts of oil from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Meeting with the Turkish FM early Monday, the Kurdistan Regional Security Council (KRSC) Chancellor, Masrour Barzani, also the top nominee for the future KRG premiership, stated that the “next KRG Cabinet intends to continue the strong partnership with Turkey.” Both discussed “mechanisms to increase bilateral trade.” 

Another issue of concern for Barzani was the situation in Syria, where the territorial fight against the Islamic State came to a conclusion late March as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reclaimed the last piece of land from the terrorist group in the country’s east.

Islamic State members continue to wage an insurgency across the country as they have in Iraq, concentrated in areas they once controlled. As such, they still pose a security threat to the US-backed forces in Syria.

However, the de facto autonomous areas to the north and east of the country, administered by the SDF's political wing, face another challenge. Their territory is landlocked between the Syrian government to the south and west and the Turkish government to the north.

The Kurds have achieved no progress in talks with Damascus, despite multiple rounds of talks, with the latter’s unwillingness to concede to demands of the Kurds, who have suffered close to 40,000 casualties in the fight against the Islamic State.

Moreover, Turkey has invaded Kurdish-held and inhabited parts of northwestern Syria, including al-Bab and Afrin, in 2016 and 2018 respectively, in an attempt to crush Kurdish aspirations of autonomy in the region.

Barzani “expressed concern about the future of the Kurdish people,” and urged the Turkish foreign minister “to help advance peace for all of the Syrian peoples.”

Editing by Nadia Riva