Sirwan Barzani is one of the most powerful men in Kurdistan. Nephew of the former president of the regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan and first cousin of the current Prime Minister, this businessman is also the minister of the peshmerga, the military forces of Iraqi Kurdistan. If he is discreet about the serious financial conflict that has opposed him for several years to Orange (the French telecoms group accuses him of having plundered him and is claiming several million euros in compensation from him) and several investors international, Sirwan Barzani takes care of his relations with the international community in the name of the fight against Daesh. Defining himself as an anti-jihadist shield, the one who likes nothing so much as to show himself alongside the French and American special forces present on the ground urges the West not to lower its guard against Daesh and its cells still active in the region.
Point : A few days ago, Katyusha rockets targeted the area of ​​a Kurdish military airport where American forces are stationed. What happened ?
Sirwan Barzani: There was only some material damage. It is a chance. But this kind of aggression is common. A few weeks ago, a drone attacked American soldiers. This proves that Daesh still has the means and that the jihadists are coming out of their shelters and the villages in which they are hidden. There are attacks in Baghdad or in other Iraqi cities. This war did not end with the fall of Mosul. The jihadists are too weak to undertake a real offensive as in 2014. But they have the means to create instability and insecurity through their constant harassment. In 2019 alone, we suffered 400 Daesh attacks. Things are clear: Daesh is seeking revenge! And, if we are not vigilant, the jihadists will rebuild their forces.However, the recent visit of the Pope to Mosul, Erbil or Baghdad went smoothly …
But, precisely, everyone was mobilized so that there was no incident. The security forces were on full alert. And not just Iraqi women. Generalized confinement of the population as well as a curfew had been decreed. And Daesh probably had neither the means to organize a large-scale operation nor the objective of disturbing this visit. Their goal is first of all to create terror against the civilian populations. It is enough to walk in the refugee camps of Kurdistan which welcome thousands of civilians who fled Daesh. They don’t want to go home, they are afraid. Daesh remains present and they feel safe in Kurdistan but fear returning to Mosul.
Why ?
The situation in Kurdistan is much calmer than in the rest of Iraq. We know what it is to be a minority and it is our duty to protect other minorities, Yazidis, Christians. It’s our duty. But we cannot help them alone. The international community has responsibilities and we need the international coalition. It is also in its interest: we are a shield against Daesh which has no borders, the French are well placed to know that.
Your relations with Baghdad in recent years have been particularly strained. Kurdistan took the city of Kirkuk and held a referendum for independence in 2017. Where are you at?
For Kirkuk, things are clear: if we had not been there in 2014, the city fell into the hands of Daesh. It is once again in the bosom of Baghdad. For the referendum, the leaders of Kurdistan responded to a request from the population. Baghdad no longer paid our share of the budget. We could no longer stay in this blocked situation. But, today, the situation is stabilized. Our relations with Baghdad are cordial and peaceful. We have settled many of our disputes.
France has always been our ally.
Unlike the Kurds in Syria who are suffering from Turkish offensives, Iraqi Kurdistan maintains good relations with Ankara. How do you justify this good agreement?
Turkey is our immediate neighbor and we have good and peaceful trade relations. The concern is the presence of the PKK which attacks Turkey, which poses real problems for us. It should be understood that the actions of the PKK give arguments to Turkey and threaten the civilian populations in Iraqi Kurdistan, who fear military actions. The PKK cannot use us as a rear base. What is happening in Syria is different: we have a lot of respect for the Kurds in Syria, who fought nobility against Daesh. But it is another country.
And what are your relations with France, which is in open conflict with Recep Tayyip Erdogan? What about the post-Trump United States?
I know that President Macron and the Turkish President do not get along. These conflicts are damaging. It’s bad for the region, which doesn’t need it. France has always been our ally. For the United States, we are fortunate that Joe Biden knows the region. When he was a senator, he came to Kurdistan and knows the challenges of the region.
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