Kurdistan FM: Freedom from IS threat most important goal

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – There is no goal more important or urgent than being free from the threat of the Islamic State (IS), said a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official on Tuesday.

Speaking during the Kurdistan-Iraq Oil and Gas Conference in London, the Head of the KRG Foreign Relations Department Falah Mustafa said the Kurdistan Region had been and will continue to be a security pillar in Iraq.

“We in the KRG have been able to forge important and substantive ties with 36 states across the globe,” Mustafa said.

“Because of our geopolitical location and the KRG’s policy of good neighborly relations, it has been important to maintain cordial relations with Turkey, Iran, and the Arab states,” he continued.

The KRG official said energy had been a source of agreement and mutual benefit between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey whereas it was a source of division in Iraq.

“We are committed to [building] the same level of energy cooperation with other neighboring countries as well,” Mustafa added.

In another part of his speech, Mustafa mentioned the KRG was committed to resolving disputes with the federal government of Iraq through peaceful dialogue.

According to Mustafa, Kurds had been “flexible” in practicing various governing structures in Iraq such as federalism, yet federalism had been unable to solve the issues.

The KRG official explained three fundamental pillars required before any changes in the Kurdistan Region regarding Baghdad were made.

“First, any evolution of our current structure and relationship with Baghdad must be peaceful and negotiated,” he said.

Secondly, Mustafa mentioned the rights and freedoms of the Kurdish people, including the people in the liberated areas from IS, must be respected.

“Third, we will stand firmly by our assertion that it is the right of the Kurdish people to determine their own fate, whether inside a federal system, or, as an independent state,” the KRG official affirmed.

Mustafa noted the Kurdistan Region would have been in a better financial condition if there were no IS war and an influx of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Kurdistan is home to over 1.8 million refugees and IDPs which makes up 30 percent of its population.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany