Recent developments and conflicts have reinforced the Kurdistan Region’s crucial role in maintaining stability in the Middle East.

The agreements between Erbil and Baghdad on oil exports and on the 2025 budget mark a promising start for the Kurdistan Region this year, as it aspires to assume an even greater role in promoting regional stability. These crucial developments are expected to help alleviate a series of difficult pressures on Kurdistan, most notably the delay in the payment of its budget and public sector salaries.

Turkiye’s Consul General in Erbil has acknowledged Kurdistan’s potential to maintain balance in the region, highlighting its strategic importance. For instance, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) proposals and instructions have encouraged Kurdish leaders in Syria to resolve the Kurdish issue in Syria peacefully, part of the Kurdistan Region’s efforts to address the Kurdish issue in all countries in the region. As former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari underscored in a recent television interview, the Kurdistan Region’s initiatives with the new Syrian authorities and the Kurds in Syria have already reduced tensions and clashes, and encouraged talks between the two sides.

The friendly countries of the world have always helped the Kurdistan Region, putting pressure on the countries into which Greater Kurdistan is divided to guarantee the rights of the Kurdish people. The readiness of the Kurdistan Region to resolve the situation under the Iraqi constitution – especially the massive financial loss for Iraq due to the suspension of oil – is evident. According to the KRG, more than $22 billion in revenues have been lost for all of Iraq as a result of suspended exports, making it unsurprising that both sides have finally reached an agreement to re-export Kurdistan’s oil.

At the same time, the international coalition’s assistance to the peshmerga has been instrumental in addressing the threat of terrorism in the Middle East and has helped to defeat extremist groups that pose a serious threat to Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world. The peshmerga confronted these groups in the field, and the allies ensured their victory with weapons and air support. 

In the future, continued cooperation will be decisive in preventing the resurgence of such groups and in protecting refugees coming to Kurdistan, which has sheltered all of the region’s ethnic and religious communities from the threat of extremism. The number of Christians in Kurdistan, for instance, is increasing daily, unlike in other countries in the Middle East like Iraq and Syria, where their numbers are dwindling as they are threatened with persecution and extinction.

Illicit drugs are another challenge to the security of the international community. Due to its geographical location, Kurdistan lies on the trafficking route of these substances but has prevented the smuggling of drugs in recent years. The KRG is working to completely eradicate this global threat by establishing a training center for patients. Additionally, international organizations are working hand in hand with local organizations and the KRG to address this issue once and for all.

The Kurdistan Region serves as a beacon of hope for the Middle East, demonstrating that stability and peace can be achieved through cooperation and diplomacy. As witnessed by international diplomats and officials, it remains an effective force for promoting stability and peace in the region and the world.

Botan Tahseen is the Publisher of Kurdistan Chronicle.