MERI Forum 2025: Kurdish President cautions uncontrolled arms threaten Iraq
Shafaq News – Erbil
Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani warned Wednesday that the Region will no longer remain silent over drone attacks, identifying armed groups operating outside state authority as the real threat to Iraq.
Speaking at the Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
Forum in Erbil, titled “Shaping the Future: Visions
for Peace and Prosperity,”
He criticized Baghdad’s response as insufficient, asserting that the federal government “knows very well” who is behind the strikes and must stop treating attacks on the Region as routine. “When we go to Baghdad, officials talk about Iraqi sovereignty, yet when armed factions attack the Kurdistan Region, they treat it as something normal.”
Barzani also cautioned that several factions operating drones are funded by the state while undermining it, urging Baghdad to bring all armed groups under the Commander-in-Chief and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s authority.
Read more: Drone escalation in Kurdistan: Tactical evolution or strategic warning?
The Kurdish president affirmed Kurdistan’s right to defend itself but emphasized that any response would be lawful and coordinated with federal institutions.
Turning to domestic politics, Barzani addressed the Tishreen protest movement, acknowledging its grievances but arguing that its efforts to dismantle political parties rather than reform governance are misguided. “Every party represents a segment of the population,” he noted. “Trying to erase them only deepens national divisions.”
Read more: Six years post-Tishreen uprising: Sacrifices outweigh political gain
