Kurdistan 'an oasis of stability,' but not without a cost: PM Masrour Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Friday affirmed the autonomous region is "an oasis of stability" during the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue 2021 in the Bahrain capital of Manama.

"Kurdistan is an oasis of stability, but that is not without a cost; it is very difficult for us," the premier said on a panel at the event. "Kurdistan Region needs time to undertake reforms," he stated.

Underlining the importance of a constitutional framework for resolving Erbil-Baghdad disputes, Barzani stressed that the key to ensuring the security of the Kurdistan Region is to "build a system in Iraq that prevents a future prime minister from using force to resolve political problems."

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The Kurdish prime minister highlighted the progress the Kurdistan Region has made over the near two decades since the fall of the former Iraqi regime in 2003.

"Everything that we have built in the Kurdistan Region in recent years, we have done it with five percent of the Iraqi budget. So, the question is, what happened to the other 95 percent in Iraq?" PM Barzani argued.

"Kurdistan has lots of unused or badly used resources it could tap into for a more ambitious future vision, leading to growth and development; it is time to start thinking about this more optimal use."

Security Challenges

On the efforts to combat ISIS, Barzani explained that the actions of the Iraqi government and other stakeholders to improve living conditions and curtail an ISIS resurgence are far from sufficient.

The terrorist threat remains due to a lack of justice and economic stability, he added.

Regarding Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)—an entity dominated by Iran-backed militias—, the prime minister stated that the alliance "is not a monolithic entity; not all its components are rogue."

But, he added, "every paramilitary group should ultimately dismantle in favor of the State, regardless of their previous role in fighting ISIS."

Stability in the Middle East

Barzani stressed the importance of Middle Eastern nations working together to tackle the security challenges they face but argued such a cooperative venture does not exist.

Countries in the Middle East have been caught up focusing on their differences rather than what they have in common, he said, stating the region needs a new security structure that includes Iran.

Poland-Belarus Border Migrant Crisis

On the ongoing humanitarian crisis along the Poland-Belarus borders, Prime Minister Barzani reiterated that there are no security issues in the Kurdistan Region to cause its people to migrate away from it. He also warned against using the people of Kurdistan as part of political scheming in Europe.

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"Innocent people should never be used as a weapon," Barzani said.

"The migrants who left Kurdistan Region and went to the Belarus-Poland border had visas and spent a lot of money; none of them escaped because of a security danger, and none of them were starving."

Northeast Syria

Erbil continues to encourage intra-Kurdish dialogue in Syria's northeast "so that they can choose their own future," Barzani noted. "Unfortunately, this is impeded by strong PKK influence on the local authority there."