Speech: University of Kurdistan - Hewler (UKH)

Good morning.

Thank you very much for being here today.

And thank you to the University of Kurdistan for inviting me to speak.

I have been asked to talk about the Kurdistan Regional Government’s strategy for stability in Iraq and the region.

There are, of course, many elements needed in order to ensure stability.

No region can be stable…

…if the government is not able to control the borders.

No region can be stable…

…if the government is unable to live within its means.

And no region can be stable…

…if political parties cannot work together in the national interest.

All these elements are important and I am sure the participants today will have much to say on them.

But this morning I want to focus my remarks on a subject that I believe can play a very important role in underpinning stability in the Kurdistan region…

…the relationship between the KRG and the federal government in Baghdad.

I want to outline for you the principles that are underpinning our approach to this relationship…

…the progress we have made so far…

…and the potential benefits we think can be realized.

Let me be clear at the beginning.

We want a constructive and stable partnership with Baghdad.

For me, this is not a competition.

It’s about partnership and trust.

And I believe our counterparts in Baghdad see it the same way.

Improving that relationship will have a real impact on people’s everyday lives…

…here and across Iraq.

And it is because of the importance of this issue that my first action was to establish a dedicated working group with Baghdad.

Over the past year I have built a positive working relationship with Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi and his team.

We both want security and we both want prosperity.

And we both recognize that our security and prosperity are best served by working together.

It is no secret that there have been times in recent years when the relationship has been tough.

And I am not going to pretend that there have not been substantial disagreements.

But our focus now is on the future, not the past.

We ask:

What opportunities will our peoples enjoy?

What security will our peoples have?

What sort of a partner will our allies find?

That is why we want to build a secure, prosperous future for all the Kurdistani peoples…

…through a constructive and stable partnership with Baghdad.

The foundation of that partnership needs to be based on a clear understanding of…

…and respect for…

…both parties’ constitutional rights.

But what does this mean in practice?

In our negotiations so far, we have focused on four areas.

First, settling the formula for the division of revenue that determines the budget allocation.

The situation is improving…

…but we need to ensure an agreement that can last for the long term and provide certainty to both sides.

We believe that the answer to this lies in the constitutional agreement and we are in constructive discussions with Baghdad over how to realize that in practice.

Second, we want to reinforce Kurdistan’s rights to federal revenues and oil and gas in line with the constitution.

Third, we are working to resolve our territorial disputes.

As you would expect, Kirkuk is a key focus of our current negotiations with Baghdad.

Ultimately, as with all disputed territories, we want to resolve this issue in line with the roadmap laid out in Article 140 of the constitution.

The fact that these are referred to as disputed territories gives a clear guide to how the issue needs to be approached.

Because they are disputed, the areas must be jointly managed…

…no single party should have a monopoly of control.

A monopoly of control in a disputed region is a dangerous situation.

But we understand that this may take some time…

…so while a comprehensive resolution is being negotiated…

…we are seeking to re-establish joint-security cooperation and restore representative local government.

We are also working with the United Nations to ensure their support in this effort.

Fourth, and finally, we aim to ensure our Peshmerga are included in Iraq’s defense policy.

I joined the Peshmerga at the age of 16.

I have served with these people and I have seen their discipline their commitment to Kurdistan and their bravery.

Our Peshmerga are heroes.

The world knows this.

This does not mean that there will not be change.

We have begun a process of organizing and reforming the different units of the Peshmerga…

…and will conduct this process in full collaboration with our coalition partners.

It must be a joint enterprise, not a source of conflict.

I have been working very closely with my deputy prime minister Kak Qubad Talabani and the Minister of Peshmerga Kak Shoresh Ismail on this issue…

We have been clear that the Peshmerga must continue to have a role in Iraq’s defense policy.

And as part of that, they must receive the training, weapons and salaries that they are entitled to under the constitution…

…in which they are recognized as the regional guards.

Those are our priorities and I’m pleased to say that progress in our discussions so far has been strong.

The government in Baghdad has been receptive to our concerns…

…they have listened…

…and they have been open to making changes.

Parts of the budget has been restored to Kurdistan…

…we’re exporting Kirkuk oil together…

…and we’re bringing customs policies into line.

This is what we can achieve by working together.

In these discussions, we know that neither side will get everything they want.

That’s the nature of negotiations.

But we can put in place an agreement that is fair to everyone…

…which is true to the constitution…

…and which lays solid foundations for a fruitful partnership upon which we can all build.

I want to conclude by talking about why this matters to the Kurdistani peoples.

As I said at the beginning, our focus is on the future, not the past.

By securing a settlement on revenues, we can create opportunities for our people.

We will have the funds we need to provide more services to our people…

…and the security to know that we will be able to do so in the years to come.

We will also have the funds to invest for the future.

To help our economy to become more productive, grow faster and give investors confidence in the long term prospects of this region.

To build the infrastructure that can unlock new opportunities such as natural gas…

…something that could transform our economy and make Iraq truly energy independent.

As I outlined in my inauguration speech, the 9th cabinet is an ambitious one…

…and we are committed to our mission of building a strong Kurdistan.

But we know it is not enough just to talk about ambition.

You need to have a realistic plan for how you will deliver it.

You need to be willing to negotiate in order to secure agreement with your partners.

And you need to work every day to realize it.

Brick by brick, day by day.

And our people deserve better than that.

That is why we are putting in place a constructive and stable partnership with Baghdad that will enable these efforts.

And if we can get those foundations right, then I believe the future will be very exciting.

Thank you very much.