MESOP : Mutual interests fuel Tehran-Erbil ties

By Osamah Golpy – Rudaw – With thousands of Iranian companies currently operating in the Kurdistan Region, trade between both parties is increasingly becoming stronger. Iranian exports to the Kurdistan Region, estimated at $4 billion, show a substantial increase from the mere $100 million in 2000. Iran also signed an energy agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in April 2014.

Many KRG officials and the Kurdish population have long perceived Iran as opposing independence or greater autonomy for Iraqi Kurds, instead favoring a strong Iraqi central government. This is unlike Turkey, which has shown some understanding on the issue, especially in the last five years or so.Iran comes second as to Turkey as the largest KRG trade partner, with over $8 billion.

During the high public sentiments for independence after the takeover of Mosul by the Islamic State (ISIS) on June 10, and the region’s motion for a referendum in the disputed Kirkuk province and across the Kurdistan Region, Iran thought that an independent Kurdistan is far closer than it had ever been, especially since it had Turkish backing and Israel’s outspoken support. The first response from Iran was denial and outright opposition to the whole idea. The Iranian media tried hard to portray the move as President Massoud Barzani’s futile push for independence – something that its strategic ally, Jalal Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), does not support.

Jomhouri Islami, an Iranian conservative newspaper, published an editorial titled “Playing with Fire in the Land of Wise People.” The one playing with fire, according to the newspaper, was President Barzani; the wise people were represented by Talabani, who told the Kuwait News Agency in 2012 that wise and mature Kurds don’t seek independence… because the infrastructure and all the necessities are not there.

Talabani, of course, imagined a scenario where Iran, Turkey and Iraq could impose a blockade on the region if Kurdistan announced unilateral independence. What the Iranian newspaper could not understand is that Turkey is willing to welcome an independent Kurdistan, or a greater federal region, political and economic independence included. That is why Iran thought for a moment that it lags behind its regional rival, Turkey. Unlike Iran, Turkey is now in peace negotiations with its Kurdish population, which in turn furthers the socio-economic ties between the Kurdish populations across the border.

A friend in need is a friend in deed. Thus, one can interpret the military aid offered to Kurdistan by Iran when the capital Erbil was on the verge of a military offensive by ISIS: Iran saw an opportunity to do what Turkey could not at that particular moment, which was to help the Kurds secure their peaceful region.  Kurdish President Massoud Barzani thanked Iran, before others, for being the first country to come to help. That was when Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif paid an official visit to Erbil, albeit calling for the “unity and security of Iraq.”

Iran has been in long negotiations over its nuclear program and Western sanctions, which have now crippled its economy for years. The efforts to reach a final deal so far led to the extension of talks twice between the six powerful nations and Iran, with July 2015 set  as the deadline. The extension partially helps the economy with a $700 million sanction relief each month.

Sanctions relief and open foreign policy were key parts of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s election campaign. Despite the nuclear talks’ uncertainties, Rouhani has also to worry over the record low oil prices. Some Iranian commentators, like the Russians, see this as a US-Saudi conspiracy to weaken and bring these two countries to the negotiation table. The economic boom in Kurdistan could play a big role in bringing some relief to the painful times the Iranians are going through, however limited. More energy ties and a bigger market should be accompanied with a new stance towards the Kurdish aspiration for a greater role in internal and regional geopolitics. The record drop of trade between the Kurdistan Region and Iran by 80 percent in July — at the time of the rise of the Islamic State — is just one example, showing how Kurdistan’s security and economy are important for Iran.  The key to improved relations between Kurdistan Region and other countries is simple to figure, but hard to implement: the more you give, the more you take; mutual interest is now driving KRG policy, now that it is a regional partner. http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/04122014