Some Iraqi embassies put obstacles in the way of KRG foreign representatives’ work: Chief diplomat 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi embassies sometimes put obstacles in the way of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) foreign representatives’ work, a chief Kurdish diplomat told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday. 

The head of the Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), Safeen Dizayee, made the remark during an interview with Kurdistan 24 on the third anniversary of the incumbent KRG ninth cabinet’s establishment. 

While expressing his appreciation for the cooperation of some Iraqi embassies with the Kurdistan Region’s 14 representative offices abroad, Dizayee said a number of them have a “moody attitude”. 

“Sometimes they put obstacles in the way of the [work] of our representatives,” he said. 

Per the Iraqi Constitution 2005, any region in Iraq has the right to establish its own “international relations”, Dizayee said, noting that no legislation has yet been made to implement that right. 

Despite the challenges and crises faced by the cabinet over the past three years, it has been able to expand international relations and “virtually” participate in conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In addition to establishing new ties, the KRG has maintained a “balance” in its diplomacy both domestically and regionally, Dizayee added. 

The Kurdistan Region hosts diplomatic corps from various regions in the world, including diplomats from the five permanent member countries of the United Nations Security Council. 

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani recently held a number of high-level meetings with leaders from the United Kingdom and the Gulf countries to improve bilateral ties.