Readout of President Nechirvan Barzani’s press conference in Paris

Paris, France, March 31, 2021

The following is the readout of President Nechirvan Barzani’s press conference in Paris, France, this morning:

President Nechirvan Barzani started the conference with a short speech in which he stated:

“Yesterday we had a meeting with His Excellency President Macron, and later with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. As you know, France has an important role in supporting Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in the war against ISIS, as well as in the field of humanitarian aid and political support. His Excellency President Macron visited Iraq earlier, and stressed during that visit that France is ready to assist Iraq in every way to achieve political and economic stability. Also, most important of all at this stage, he affirmed their readiness to assist Iraq in confronting terrorists, especially ISIS.

In yesterday's meeting, it was once again confirmed that France continues its support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. His Excellency congratulated the Kurdistan Region and Iraq on the visit of His Holiness the Pope to Iraq, especially his visit to the Kurdistan Region, and it seems that there was a phone call earlier, last week between him President Macron and His Holiness, in which he His Holiness congratulated the Kurdistan Region, commended the people of Iraq, and described the visit as very successful. President Macron stressed that he is ready to make every effort for the sake of political and economic stability in Iraq.  He stressed France's readiness to help because the issue of terrorism and ISIS resurgence remains serious threat to the Kurdistan Region and to Iraq. President Macron affirmed that France is ready to support Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in every way within the framework of the International Coalition. We also discussed the Syrian issue and relations with our neighboring countries our meeting with His Excellency President Macron.”

Following his speech, President Nechirvan Barzani answered a question about President Macron's official invitation to President Nechirvan Barzani despite the current challenges facing France due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, while most meetings with heads of state in the world take place online and virtually, the President of the Kurdistan Region said:

“As you know, especially after the events that occurred in 2017, President Macron had a fundamental role in solving our problems with Baghdad, and the role of His Excellency President Macron was remarkable. Without his political role, our mission would have become more difficult. President Macron exercised his to help solve the issues between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region, and to achieve stability in the country during role during a very difficult time.  In fact, in every meeting between us, we reiterated our gratitude to France, and especially to President Macron, for the role they played at that time. I believe that the stability of Iraq is important for the entire region and for Europe, and I believe that our invitation and our visit to France came on this basis to discuss these issues in more detail. As I mentioned, we have confirmed that our discussions will continue until the political stability that serves all of Iraq and the region in general is reached.

I believe that France and His Excellency President Macron are very serious in taking any necessary steps to achieve political stability in Iraq and to help solve Iraq's problems at the local and state levels. His Excellency is ready to play this role, and upon my return to the Kurdistan Region, I will discuss these issues with Iraq’s Prime Minister, the President of the Republic and the political parties in Baghdad. I hope we will reach a common understanding and agree on what we can do together.”

Regarding the French efforts in the reconstruction of Iraq and investment in the Kurdistan Region, President Nechirvan Barzani pointed out that “it is certain that the economic relations between France and Iraq are old, and France is ready to help Iraq in this field. As you know, France started that and has an important role in humanitarian issues in all of Iraq. France is also ready to strengthen its economic relations with Iraq for the purpose of helping Iraq.”

Regarding what France can offer the Kurdistan Region and what it may request from the Kurdistan Region, President Nechirvan Barzani stressed that: “As I mentioned before, we discussed in our meetings yesterday the relations between the Kurdistan Region and France, and in general President Macron wants to know what is required and how can the role of France help achieve political and economic stability in Iraq. We discussed these issues, as well as  our relations with neighboring countries and the Syrian issue. These are all topics that we discussed at length with His Excellency President Macron.”

Regarding the agreements concluded between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad and the issue of the federal budget, President Nechirvan Barzani announced: “On the issue of the general budget, I will start from the question of why this happens every year? There is a fundamental problem in the issue of relations between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad. In Iraq, we have a federal system, and we have a constitution which the majority of the Iraqi people voted for. The essence of the problem is that the way Baghdad has dealt with the Kurdistan Region so far is not the way the state deals in federal systems. The fundamental problem starts here. Baghdad's current method of dealing with the Kurdistan Region is not common in any federal system in the world, as this does not exist in any federal system in the world.  Of course this system is modern in Iraq in general, and this system has not yet been fully established. In all federal systems in the world, regions receive a budget, and these regions have their own parliaments that approve that budget. However, what is happening now in the Kurdistan Region is that we have to approve this budget in our parliament and then it is sent to Baghdad to be approved again. Therefore, the problem is that this system is not correct, and the way Baghdad deals with the Kurdistan Region in the issue of the budget is not correct. This has to be addressed sooner or later.”

“This is why we face this problem every year. What matters is that the government’s negotiating delegation has thankfully made great efforts, the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Qubad Talabani, and those with him, the Minister of Finance and the Cabinet Team, and the Prime Minister personally are all following up on this matter and reached a formula between the regional government and the federal government regarding how to deal with this problem. We hope is that the contents of the text agreed upon by the two sides will be implemented. Unfortunately, there have been continuous attempts to show that the greatest guilt for not implementing and not passing the budget bill is born by the Kurdistan Regional Government, but fortunately it has become known that the Kurdistan Regional Government is not responsible and does not represent an obstacle in the way of passing the general budget, and we hope that the vote will take place in the earliest time for the text of this law. The issues of the budget is not important for the Kurdistan Region alone, but rather is important for all of Iraq in the field of services, increasing urban development and solving existing problems. Therefore, we hope that the budget will be passed in the parliament as soon as possible.”

In response to another question about how France views the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistan of Syria in the framework of its foreign policy, His Excellency said: “The French Foreign Minister visited the Kurdistan Region about eight times before, if I am not mistaken, when he was Minister of Defense and when he became Minister of Foreign Affairs.  He is a close friend of the people of Iraq in general, and he is familiar with the conditions of Kurdistan. The Kurdistan Region pursued a policy that is consistently seeking to be a factor in achieving stability and security in the region, and the Kurdistan Region’s relations with neighboring countries are based on this basis. This is a principle that France and Europeans know. Our talks were based on this basis, and how we can cooperate to help achieve stability. Our talks were mostly on this topic, and we emphasized that the positive role of the Kurdistan Region in this area will continue for the sake of stability and security for the entire region."

Regarding the best options for the Iraqi parliament regarding the draft laws, President Nechirvan Barzani said: “As we mentioned, the Kurdistan Region does not currently constitute a problem in the way of passing the budget, and it will fully abide by the agreement currently concluded with the government of Prime Minister, Mustafa Kadhimi. We hope that this issue will pass. The problem now has nothing to do with the Kurdistan Region, but other problems arose with the budget. What matters is that the people of Iraq know that the Region does not represent a problem in the issue of the general budget. On the contrary, the reconstruction and provision of service projects in any Iraqi city, from Fao to Mosul, Basra, Karbala, Najaf and others, is something we are happy about in the Kurdistan Region. Construction in Iraq is a source of relief for the Kurdistan Region. Every city in Iraq which enjoys services and is witnessing a reconstruction, we view it is like any city in Kurdistan and we hope that the Parliament takes this issue seriously. The people of Iraq deserve a better life than the one they live now, they deserve better services, and we hope that this issue will pass in the Parliament.”

Regarding the to the outcome of his meetings in France, the reassurance of the Kurdistan Region and what France expects from the Kurdistan Region, President Nechirvan Barzani said: “France, as an important country in Europe and a member of the UN Security Council, has an important role in political stability in the Middle East. In this context and after our meeting with His Excellency President Macron, we expect France to assist in all that is necessary for political, economic and stability of Iraq. This issue, in my opinion, is also very important for the Kurdistan Region because as I mentioned, our main problem is the consolidation of the federal system in Iraq. This is a serious problem in Iraq. Therefore, for the sake of a brighter future for all of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, political stability, reassurance about the future of Kurdistan and the stability of all components that live-in Iraq, including Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and all other components is a must. It time for us to engage seriously at the negotiation table so that we can understand each other.

We first determine where our mistakes were, how we can correct them, and the necessary steps to secure stability in all of Iraq. The Iraq problem is definitely not solved on the basis of who is strong today and who is weak. The solution to the Iraq problem comes from meeting at the dialogue table diligently, calmly and flexibly, to ensure the achievement of a bright future for all the people of Iraq in the Kurdistan Region and all the other components of Iraq. This is important for us, and in this context France can be a serious and strong support for us.”

Regarding President Nechirvan Barzani’s visit to France during the pandemic, the President said: “This is also one of the things that we appreciate about France. I think this is evidence that Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are important for President Macron and France, during a time where Covid-19 virus has spread and has become a serious problem everywhere in the world. This is evidence that President Macron’s values the political stability and security in Iraq.”