Shafaq News- Erbil

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani on Sunday urged Kurds to rely on themselves, saying no one would protect them if they failed to do so.

At the closing ceremony of the KDP’s 20th cadre-training course in Erbil, Barzani said, “We want to have the best relations. We are not enemies of Iran, Turkiye or any other country,” expressing hope that the war would end and peace would prevail in the region.

Erbil-Baghdad ties

Barzani said relations with the federal government were currently good and that the Kurdistan Region was seeking its rights under Iraq’s Constitution.

“We are not asking for more than what is in the Constitution, and we will not accept less than what it provides,” he said.

Barzani warned that failure to implement a political agreement signed before the current federal government was formed would force the KDP to reconsider its position.

The agreement was signed by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Badr Organization Secretary-General Hadi Al-Ameri on behalf of Iraq's Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), parliament's largest bloc. It covers several outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil, including political partnership, the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional rights, Article 140 and the federal oil and gas law.

Baghdad and Erbil also continue talks over the Kurdistan Region’s federal budget share and oil and gas issues. In September, the Kurdistan Regional Government rejected a proposed 12.67% share of Iraq’s 2027 federal budget and sought 14%.

Read more: Into 2026, Baghdad and Erbil face the same disputes