Dindar Zebari, deputy head of Kurdistan's Department of Foreign Relations, says that Baghdad is not living up to its commitments with the autonomous Kurdistan Region over foreign relations. He says that the central government should abide by the constitution, and allow representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) abroad to work as diplomats within overseas Iraqi missions. Zebari says that the Canadian province of Quebec, whose representatives work inside Canadian embassies around the world, can be a model for how Baghdad and Erbil should align their foreign relations. The KRG established its own Department of Foreign Relations in 2009, to systemize the region’s diplomatic relations abroad and embrace the many foreign consulates that have flocked to the autonomous region over the past decade. Here is an edited transcript of Zebari’s interview with Rudaw.
Rudaw: Has the Iraqi government ever tried to curtail Kurdistan’s foreign relations, forcing Erbil to reach the world through Baghdad?
Dindar Zebari: The KRG was in place before the removal of the Baath regime in 2003. Since the 1992 elections, the KRG has conducted relations with the international community on the basis of a de-facto administration. In the new Iraq and its constitution of 2005, the KRG was officially recognized and given sovereignty over external relations. The KRG was given by law of the country a right of participation in Iraq’s foreign office and foreign affairs. If you read the constitution it indicates clearly that the KRG has a right to have representations. That’s why here in the Kurdistan Region you see day-by-day the opening of new consulates and international organizations.
However, from years of my personal experience with Baghdad, we are still not at the stage of formal inclusion, or formal partnership when it comes to sharing foreign policies. What we seek is that KRG representatives abroad must be part of the Iraqi diplomacy. They must be diplomats within the Iraqi embassies. This is what Quebec in Canada has. When it comes to organizations like UNESCO and others -- again because we have a different culture, nation and language -- these are all pillars for this recognition.
We are still not recognized as diplomats of Iraq when it comes to those meetings. In practice, we do still exercise our right of participation, the right of representation, though we have to go through different channels. Here we have international organizations and it is through them that we get invited. They have to deal with this government; there is no way around it.
Rudaw: So you want Kurdish officials to be recognized as Iraqi diplomats, rather than KRG diplomats?
Dindar Zebari: As Iraqi diplomats, but as KRG representatives. This is what the federal constitution is supposed to deliver. For instance, if you look at Quebec, it’s representative at UNESCO, he’s a representative of the government of Quebec, but he’s officially recognized as a Canadian diplomat. It is only the last part that I believe is significant. The department of foreign relations here must be fully participating in the representation of Iraq when it comes to foreign interaction, because without the KRG the representation of Iraq is not complete.
Rudaw: Iraq has sometimes complained that KRG missions abroad act as representatives of an independent state. What do you say to this?
Dindar Zebari: I fully agree with Iraqi concerns, but in what way do I agree? The Iraqi foreign ministry must recognize KRG representatives abroad officially as Iraqi diplomats first. That will bring the unity of Iraq and protect and secure the sovereignty of Iraq, and internationally we will look like a united Iraq, because federalism is all about internal diversity but external unity. If that is changed, then the problem will be resolved. What do we represent outside of Iraq? We don’t represent anything other than Iraqi foreign affairs. What we represent goes in line with the Iraqi Foreign Ministry’s policies. So we have the same policy as Iraq, but we implement that policy sometimes in better practice, because of stability and security and economic boom. So, possibly we are far ahead in some of the areas. And our concerns as the KRG are better understood internationally because we are on the path to self-sufficiency.
Rudaw: A number of countries have opened consulates in Erbil, among them the US, UK and France. What has been their incentive? Is it economic interests; is it the geopolitical significance of the region?
Dindar Zebari: It might be both, or it might be even more than that. Iraq is an important geopolitical entity in the Middle East. It’s also important because it’s an eastern gate from the Arab world to Europe. It’s also important because it is a southern gate for Europe to the Gulf and also to the Middle East. It’s also important because it’s an area where most of the trade goes on.
Rudaw: Why do you think Baghdad has been so hesitant to come up with an agreement with the KRG?
Dindar Zebari: It goes back to many possibilities, but let me put it this way: The Iraqi government has failed to successfully solve many outstanding Iraqi issues and this might be one of them.
Rudaw: How do foreign governments treat Kurdish diplomats or representatives abroad? Do they ever worry about upsetting the Iraqi government, for instance on oil issues?
Dindar Zebari: Do you think these big international oil companies like ExxonMobil, Hess and Chevron, all of them are in the KRG without knowing what the Iraqi constitution says? Iraqi politics are very complicated.
Rudaw: Do you or your colleagues ever wish to one day become ambassadors and diplomats of an independent Kurdish state?
Dindar Zebari: If you ask me as a Kurd, and as a Kurdish individual, of course I would like to make Kurdistan a state. But again, if you look at the pillars of statehood and are realistic about it, the three pillars of statehood are independence, different language and self-governance. The KRG has proved this. We have these three pillars available. The rest of it is external recognition, so we are just at the stage of recognition. But does the recognition of Kurdistan as a state by a few countries lead to stability? I believe what the KRG leadership believes in is prosperity for the region, reconstruction and rebuilding, as well as coexistence with neighbors that is acceptable and well supported, including with Iraq. So, I think we are very much pragmatic with our steps and we believe the success of the KRG will only be achieved -- and self-independence will only be achieved -- when the coexistence situation in the Middle East, in the neighboring countries, as well as in Iraq, does provide that room.
