by Seth J. Frantzman
The KRG has helped smooth the transition in eastern Syria by working with Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces, also hosting US forces and other anti-ISIS coalition forces.
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The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq has held high-level meetings at the Munich Security Conference, which has become a place for countries to meet and discuss various trends. It also matters more this year because the KRG has become a major player in the region.
The regional government helped smooth the transition in eastern Syria, working with Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The KRG also hosts US forces and other anti-ISIS coalition forces. Additionally, it has amicable ties with Turkey, Iran, the Gulf, and many other countries.
What this means is that the Kurdistan Region, at the crossroads of the Middle East, is a geopolitical hinge upon which the region turns.
Amid tensions with Iran, changes in Syria, and many concerns about regional integration and stability, the KRG is a symbol of success. This is interesting because while the KRG is a regional autonomous government, its profile is often larger than Iraq’s, the state that it is part of.
Such a situation is unusual, both in the Middle East and globally. There are not very many powerful autonomous regions in the world; usually, autonomous regions are backwaters or don’t have much clout. The KRG is therefore unique.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. They discussed US-KRG cooperation and also Syria. The Kurdish leadership in the KRG, particularly the influential Barzani family, has been closely following developments in eastern Syria. The Kurdish leadership of the other major party in the KRG, the PUK, is also involved. The two leading Kurdish parties are dominated by two large families, the Barzanis and Talibanis.
Barzani said that his talks focused on “US relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as the prospects for mutual cooperation,” a report at Kurdish media Rudaw noted. Barzani reiterated “his thanks and appreciation for US support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.”
Rubio, too, was positive about the meeting. “Both sides emphasized the importance of protecting the rights of Kurds and all communities within a united Syria,” Barzani’s office stated, according to Rudaw Kurdish media in Erbil.
Other issues are being examined closely. Syria’s foreign minister said in Munich that there were no demands for Kurdish autonomy in Syria. This is a sensitive issue for Damascus. Syria’s leadership has rejected the kind of KRG model in Iraq being applied to Syria. This means that Kurdish rights will be secured, but that autonomy or decentralization apparently will not.
Barzani reportedly met with France, US congressional delegation
According to the reports, Barzani also held talks in Munich with a US congressional delegation.
“During the meeting, US relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as the development of joint cooperation between them, were discussed,” Barzani’s office said, according to the Rudaw report.
It went on to say that the US delegation had emphasized “the importance of the Kurdistan Region’s role as a factor of stability in the region.”
Barzani also met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been a key supporter of Kurdish rights in the region. France, also the former colonial power in Syria, has played an important role in the war on ISIS.
The Kurdistan region sees the Barzani meetings as important, with the KRG placing a major emphasis on attending events such as Munich and Davos. It believes that this helps the region benefit from the financial and geopolitical policies important to Erbil.
Today, Erbil continues to play a key role in the region and is economically developing into one of the major success stories in the Middle East. Its work in brokering deals in Syria and other countries is significant.
Seth J. Frantzman
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-886679
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