Kurdistan Prime Minister Marks Anniversary of March 11, 1970 Agreement
Masrour Barzani reaffirms commitment to defending Kurdistan Region’s constitutional status
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday marked the anniversary of the March 11, 1970 Agreement, describing it as a historic achievement of the Kurdistan people's struggle and reaffirming his government’s commitment to protecting the rights of the Kurdistan people.
In a post on X, Barzani said the landmark accord was the result of years of the Kurdistan people's resistance during the Great September Revolution led by Kurdish national leader Mustafa Barzani.
“The March 11 Agreement of 1970 was the historic outcome of the Great September Revolution, led by our national leader, Mustafa Barzani,” the prime minister wrote. “We reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights of the people of Kurdistan and to safeguarding the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional status.”
The post included a video highlighting the decades-long struggle of the Kurdistan people for political recognition and autonomy. According to subtitles in the video, the people of Kurdistan—from Zakho in the northwest to Khanaqin in the southeast—united under Mustafa Barzani’s leadership during the revolution to defend the freedom of Kurdistan and its people.
After years of armed resistance and thousands of sacrifices, the Iraqi government signed the March 11 Agreement in 1970, marking the first time the then-ruling Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq formally acknowledged Kurdish national rights.
The video also connected the agreement’s legacy to later milestones in Kurdish history. It noted that 21 years after the accord, on the same date, the people of Erbil rose up against the Ba'ath regime during the 1991 Kurdish Uprising, helping pave the way for the establishment of Kurdish self-rule.
Barzani emphasized that the constitutional status of the Kurdistan Region and its national institutions are the result of unity among the region’s people and their long struggle for rights.
“The constitutional status of the Kurdistan Region and our national institutions are the product of the unity of the people of Kurdistan,” the video said, adding that protecting those gains remains a collective responsibility.
The March 11, 1970 Agreement was a landmark accord between the Iraqi government and Kurdish leaders, following years of armed struggle and the Great September Revolution led by Mustafa Barzani.
It marked the first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights, granting autonomy in certain areas and laying the foundation for democratic governance in the region. The agreement is widely regarded as a turning point in the Kurdish struggle for political and cultural rights in Iraq.
On the same date 21 years later, March 11, 1991, the city of Erbil rose up against the Baath regime during a wider Kurdish uprising following the Gulf War. Kurdish civilians and Peshmerga forces joined to reclaim the city, marking a decisive moment that reinforced Kurdish self-rule and set the stage for the eventual establishment of the Kurdistan Region’s autonomous administration.
The March 11 Agreement of 1970 was the historic outcome of the Great September Revolution, led by our national leader, Mustafa Barzani.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) March 11, 2026
We reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights of the people of Kurdistan and to safeguarding the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional status. pic.twitter.com/MmcFqVC88p