Nechirvan Barzani was sworn in on Monday as president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, vowing to open a new chapter of relations with Baghdad.
The swearing in ceremony in Erbil was attended by several officials, including Iraqi President Barham Salih on his first trip to Kurdistan since coming to office, Speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi and a representative of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
The event was also attended by the lawmakers of the 21-member Patriotic Union of Kurdistan bloc that had boycotted Barzani’s election.
Addressing the gatherers, Barzani vowed to achieve political, security and economic stability in the Kurdistan region during the four years of his term.
“We must cooperate with the federal authorities in Baghdad to find joint solutions to pending problems,” he added.
The solutions must be based on the constitution that the “Iraqi people have long dreamed of and which will be the foundation of a new Iraq and a guarantor of the rights of the people of Kurdistan and Iraq within a federal system.”
He lamented, however, that the constitution has not be respected and the aspirations for the establishment of a new Iraq have not been met.
“There can be no substitute to the constitution in Iraq, especially after we have all seen what happens when the constitution is deliberately or inadvertently neglected,” he added.
“We can still revive the constitution and implement it fully, without being selective, through reaching understandings and constructive work to block off attempts to the emergence of dark groups, such as ISIS, and avoid the repeat of tragedies that have taken place in Sinjar and other parts of Iraq and Kurdistan,” Barzani declared.
Nechirvan becomes the second member of the Barzani family to become president. He succeeds his uncle Masoud, who served for two terms from 2006 and 2017.
Leading member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Mohsen al-Saadoun told Asharq Al-Awsat: “There are signs that relations between Baghdad and Erbil will witness significant developments in the future.”
“The new president of Kurdistan has long experience in dealing with Baghdad and he seems determined to reach solutions to pending problems based on the constitution,” he noted.
Kurdish MP in the Iraqi parliament, Alaa Talbani, echoed this position, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that relations between Baghdad and Erbil are expected to witness “positive development” after Nechirvan Barzani’s election.
