Kurdistan Region President: We Prevented Border Attacks on Iran
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, announced on Monday during a discussion session at the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) in Erbil that the Kurdistan Region’s stance since the beginning of the conflict has been to avoid engagement and preserve the region’s security and stability.
Barzani highlighted continuous coordination with the central government of Iraq and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, noting that daily communications between Erbil, Baghdad, and the PUK have been ongoing since the conflict’s outset to prevent its repercussions from spilling into the Kurdistan Region.
The President stressed that Iran is a neighbor to Iraq and that this conflict does not concern the Kurdistan Region. He stated, “The region’s authorities oppose the use of their territory to threaten Iran’s security or conduct cross-border military operations.”
Barzani further announced that from the first day of the conflict, borders were closed, and security forces were deployed along the border strip. He also explicitly informed Iranian opposition parties based in the region that they were prohibited from launching any attacks against Iran from Iraqi soil.
Citing international law and the Iraqi constitution, Barzani affirmed that using Iraqi territory for armed attacks against neighboring countries is not permissible, and this principle forms the stable basis of the Kurdistan Region’s security policy. He added that the measures taken were aimed at preventing escalation of border tensions, safeguarding the security of the region and its residents, and maintaining relations with neighboring countries amidst the sensitive regional security and political climate.
In another part of his remarks, despite internal political differences, the Kurdistan Region President reported an understanding between Erbil and Baghdad on strategic issues, stating that protecting the region and maintaining its stability has driven political parties to strengthen coordination during the crisis. Barzani assessed that the Kurdistan Region has successfully avoided direct involvement in the current conflict.
