🔸Barzani: Iraqi Kurdistan has no relationship with Israel

🔸Barzani: Iraqi Kurdistan has no relationship with Israel

Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that the Kurdistan Region “has no relationship with Israel,” and that decisions about foreign policy are, within the framework of Iraq’s constitution, the responsibility of the federal government in Baghdad.

With these remarks, he made clear that the Kurdistan Region’s position on foreign relations is placed within the legal structure of Iraq. Barzani stressed that decisions about a country’s formal relations with other governments are up to federal authorities.

In another part of the same interview, the Kurdistan Region prime minister said that the Kurdistan Region government has not been pressured by any foreign party to enter the ongoing regional clashes.

According to Barzani, the priority for the Kurdistan Region is to protect its land and population and to avoid becoming involved in regional hostilities.

He emphasized that the Kurdistan Region does not want to be a party to any regional war and is trying to keep itself away from the consequences of these clashes.

Masoud Barzani said that the Kurdistan Region has experienced more than a thousand missile and drone attacks so far, and attributed these attacks to Iran or to paramilitary groups active inside Iraq.

The Kurdistan Region prime minister also again supported the Iraqi federal government’s policy to ensure that weapons come under the control of official government institutions.

Barzani also rejected claims about the ongoing U.S. military presence at the Harir airbase.

As reported by Al Jazeera, he said the base has not hosted U.S. forces for about a decade.

The Kurdistan Region prime minister described relations with Damascus as “good and developing.”

He also said that the Kurdistan Region’s relations with Turkey are “very good” and accompanied by cooperation.

Barzani emphasized that the Kurdistan Region’s approach is to preserve relations with neighboring countries, strengthen internal security, and avoid becoming part of disputes beyond Iraq.

In Iran’s government media, attacks on the Kurdistan Region and the headquarters of Kurdish parties are justified with some arguments, including that “Iran and Iraq have a security agreement according to which the Baghdad government is committed to disarm Kurdish opposition groups to the Islamic Republic stationed in the Kurdistan Region.”

Also, according to these media outlets, estimates by Iran’s security institutions indicate that these groups are linked to the intelligence organizations of the United States and Israel, and, based on assigned missions, carry out operations and intelligence activities.”