Interview with Falah Musatafa (KRG Foreign Minister)

With regards to democracy in Kurdistan, with the upcoming elections in July, what is your feeling about democracy as it stands in Kurdistan?

Of course, we have started to build the path towards democracy but we can not claim we have a perfect democratic experience yet. Although we have been trying our best to establish a democratic system in this region, I believe we have a long way to go. Democracy is not a package that you can distribute and handover to people so they can get change from another system to a democratic system. As Prime Minister Barzani has stated, it is a practice of daily life, it takes time and it’s a process but for sure the KRG is determined to go to the end of that road.

Regarding upcoming elections, the KRG welcomes this. This will be another effort that we put forward in order to make sure we are on the right track.  It provides an opportunity for people to make their own choice, and this is when an individual can vote, it makes sense for people to be able to choose those who believe in their capabilities and trust them.

I have often noted the openness of the government in acknowledging its deficiencies, for example in the current democratic experience, or the current state of the judicial system, how are these deficiencies been actively resolved into practice?

I believe one of the key successes of Prime Minister Barzani is the fact that he has been  open and honest with himself, his cabinet and his people. He has always tried to come forward, tell the people what do we have, where do we stand and what are our problems and what shall we do. It is important for a leader to acknowledge, to admit, and when mistakes have been made to say we have made mistakes and when we have problems, to say we have problems. He tries to consult with others in order to find the right way to go. It was the Prime Minister, in terms of human rights, woman issues and other issues who was the first to come on the stage and state that we can not hide our problems anymore, we have to expose our problems in order to tackle them and find proper solutions for them. I believe we are witnessing a transitional phase in our history, in the region and also in the entire Iraq, we may not get what we desire or wish, but the most important thing is to have the political will and the determination in order to overcome the difficulties, try to fill in the gaps and also make sure that the future is better than the past

Regards, the upcoming elections in July, will international observers monitor these elections?

KRG welcomes international observers to come in and monitor those elections, to make sure that we have free and fair elections in this region. It is very important for us since we want to prove to the outside world, to those inside Iraq and of course to our own people, that we welcome these elections. We want to make sure that the results are not challenged. Therefore, the more international observers we have, the better and more credible the results there will be.

How can you guarantee that there will be no irregularities and fraud when the elections are held?

We hope that the Independent Electoral Commission in Iraq, which will  be supervising the elections in this region, will be preparing the results in the best way, so that they will not allow for double voting, so they will have all registration forms ready and the ballot boxes and the polling stations, in order to ensure that that there will be no irregularities. However, this is the Middle East and this is Iraq, which we have to take into account, but we are determined to cooperate fully with IECI and also with international observers to make sure that the results are welcome.

Relations between the Kurdistan Region and Ankara have seen a gradual warming, how do you foresee future relations will be shaped?

The KRG is optimistic about its future relations with Turkey. Turkey is an important country and we look forward to expanding of relations with Turkey, in terms of economic activities, business cooperation, commercial activities, cultural and education activities. Overall the Kurdistan Region as part of Iraq can also play an important bridge to the rest of Iraq, and we are looking forward to expansion of ties, increasing the volume and scale of economic exchange between the region and the entire Iraq with Turkey,

Therefore I believe we are on the right track and welcome the positive developments in Turkey and we believe these are important steps that should not be underestimated. There have been positive changes from the Turkish side and we look forward to continuing to work with them. As you know, there has recently been direct dialogue between the KRG and Turkish officials and we welcome that, and we will make sure that we continue this kind of cooperation.

Clearly appears foundations are been laid for better bilateral ties, in terms of the future shape of relations, is there general support for a future confederation between Turkey and the KRG?

Well, the Kurdistan Region is a part Iraq, and the parliament of the Kurdistan Region adopted a federal solution, we are committed to the Iraqi constitution and we want to make sure that we will have a free, federal, democratic and pluralistic Iraq, an Iraq that treats its citizens with respect and dignity, and lives in peace with itself, within its communities and with its neighboring countries.

At the same time we welcome increasing our relations and widening our relations with neighboring countries and Turkey is an important country that we can have very good relations with. Turkey has helped us in the past and it will continue to cooperate with Iraq and also the Kurdistan Region. Therefore the KRG are committed to the Iraqi constitution and its stipulations.

Does that commitment to the constitution, that commitment to the overall sovereignty of Iraq, has also its preconditions as well from a KRG perspective?

The commitment must be reciprocal based on an Iraq that is peaceful, stable and has a future for all sides.

Why have the KRG not been able to create a more powerful lobby in the US or the EU?

Well, the KRG is trying its best in order to broaden its ties and also to work closely with foreign governments, including the US government, British government and EU governments. We have been trying to encourage them to open business offices, consulates and embassy offices in the region. As far as we are concerned we have done everything that we can and we will continue to do so. We have also been trying to encourage the Kurdish communities, and the Kurdistan communities in the Diaspora, to also play a positive role in that. But it needs continued efforts.

Will a future Kurdistan, have a base of support from abroad, perhaps somewhat akin to Israel, that is committed and supports its existence, and not just as a part of federation but as a rightful entity?

The situation in Kurdistan is different, the Kurdistan Region is here today, we were here before the liberation of Iraq, and we remained after the liberation. We had our own government and parliament and we continued to work with the coalition forces as well as with other Iraqi forces, in order to make sure that there will be a better future for all Iraqis. Therefore I believe this is a transitional phase, it needs patience, it needs effort and it needs international support. The international support that we need today is political support for Iraq, for the political process, to send the right message to Iraq that we support democracy, we will not support dictatorship, that we support commitment to the constitution, and to the process that we have started. I believe that the best support the international community can give to Iraq is to stay committed to the constitution, which lays down principles of federalism, democracy, and also making sure the future of Iraq is better than the past.

How supportive have the US been to the idea of more Kurdish self-rule?

Well, this has to be an Iraqi decision. We were almost independent from 1991 to the time of the fall of the former regime in 2003. We had our own international relations, international business dealings; even the currency which was in circulation here was different from that of the rest of the country. The economy here was doing better, the education system, the health system, there was no control whatsoever from the Iraqi regime at that time. But with the fall of the regime, based on the principles of federalism and democracy, pluralism and partnership, we decided to go back and work for a better Iraq. Therefore it is an Iraqi issue, it was supported by all those who were involved in the implementation process, and also during the drafting of the constitution. The Kurdistan Region as an entity has been recognized in the Iraq constitution as a legitimate entity, and I believe it has to be respected because the Kurdistan Region has got its own characteristics. The region has been run professionally since 1991, we are doing much better than some other parts of the country, and we believe we are ahead. Had it not been for the problems created every now and then by the federal government such as problems of the national budget, problems of the movement of troops, and problems regarding other issues, there would have been even more progress. But also the security situation in the rest of the country has affected us negatively, in terms of discouraging people to come and invest in this region, although the KRG has started a very powerful campaign to start attracting investment to this part of Iraq, using Kurdistan as a gateway to start business establishments in this part of Iraq, and then moving towards the rest of Iraq when the situation stabilizes.

The US brought about the change in Iraq in 2003, with the Kurds as close allies in that liberation, do you feel that the US could do more to promote Kurdish interests.

We do not ask beyond what the constitution says. Our demands are Iraqi demands, for example, when we talk about democracy, democracy is for all of Iraq. We would like the US, and the international community as a whole to support the democratic principles in Iraq. When we ask for federalism, this is something stipulated in the Iraqi constitution, referring to Iraq as a federal state. This is a system of government that makes sure all communities in Iraq share the power and wealth of their country. Therefore we want the US support for the constitution, since they played a role in the drafting phase of the same constitution in question. We ask for the respect of human rights, we ask for the rule of law, we ask for more transparency. These are all demands that will serve Iraq as a whole as well as our region. But at the same time we would like US support for this region, politically, economically, encouraging more companies to invest in this region, improving education links to build bridges between our universities, so there are many ways and means of supporting this region as part of Iraq, and to ensure that the future of this region is guaranteed.

First Published On: The Media Line

Other Publication Sources: Kurdistan Regional Government, Kurdish Globe, PUK Media, Peyamner, Various Misc.

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