Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani had an exclusive interview on Asharq TV, sharing his insights and perspectives on key issues.

Asharq News : Allow me to start by talking about the series of drone attacks on oil facilities in the region. Have you discovered the parties responsible for that?

Masrour Barzani: There are ongoing investigations to find out who is behind these attacks. We have some information, but I prefer to wait until the relevant authorities reach their final investigation results. It's clear who is behind it, but I prefer not to talk about it until the final results of the investigations are issued.

Asharq News : This means that, in your view, the parties responsible for all this—you know them well, but by waiting for the investigation into the identity of these people, is that information available to you?

Masrour Barzani: Certainly, our authorities here are concerned, and we are also cooperating with the coalition security forces, as well as with the federal government in Baghdad. We have a very good idea of who is behind it precisely, but we in the Kurdistan Region do not want to talk about it until the investigations are conducted to find out who is behind it, and then we will issue the final results.

Asharq News : Prime Minister, it is said that the timing of these attacks is linked to the strategies of American companies in the oil field?

Masrour Barzani: As I said, I cannot comment directly on the motive or reason for the attacks and why they happened at this time. But certainly, the agreements we signed with American companies may have led to this attack or not—it is still under investigation. And also, I believe we will discover that after the investigation is completed.

Asharq News : There is a clear American pressure to identify the parties carrying out those attacks, and also very supportive of securing this economic environment in the Kurdistan Region, away from any explosions or not. What is the region's role in this?

Masrour Barzani: We are cooperating with the coalition forces, and the Americans are our allies, so we certainly share information with them and welcome any American participation in the investigation, because we have close cooperation with American companies that are exposed to attacks in some oil fields. And also with the federal government, and we appreciate any effort and assistance to stop these attacks in any way on any facilities here in the Kurdistan Region, where we are trying not only for economic survival but also for prosperity and ensuring that Kurdistan becomes a safe place for investors.

Asharq News : Prime Minister, what is your assessment of the security situation in Kurdistan in general? In light of these current threats, is there a real danger of the return of ISIS or ISIS cells?

Masrour Barzani: Frankly, Kurdistan has always been a safe place in a very turbulent region. As you have seen, there are problems in all parts of the region, but Kurdistan has been safe, and many people from different parts of the region, especially different parts of Iraq, seek refuge or come to Kurdistan because they feel safe. But this does not mean that the threat from ISIS or extremists has ended. There are still sleeper ISIS cells in different parts of the region, not in the Kurdistan Region, but in general in Iraq and Syria.And we must monitor them closely; that's why we also cooperate with all our friends to ensure that ISIS does not return as it did in the past. But it still exists, and there is still a serious threat that needs to be monitored closely.

Asharq News : After what was reported about the initiative by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for peace? How do you deal with it, and if it is implemented, even if it was with the presence of these forces here? To what extent? How do you deal with it?

Masrour Barzani: We welcome the peace initiative. We welcome the talks between the Kurdistan Workers' Party and Turkey on ending the war. And of course, the message from the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Abdullah Ocalan, to lay down arms—I think this is a good step forward. And we hope that all these conflicts and ongoing problems end, because we know from the ongoing war that we have not yet been able to rebuild 800 villages destroyed by clashes and confrontations. So, with the end of this problem, we hope that our people can return to their villages and areas. Now we must wait and support this peace initiative until it succeeds, and we must wait and see how it will develop.

Asharq News : What about the status of negotiations to form the new government in Kurdistan? Where have things reached?

Masrour Barzani: We have agreed on the agenda for the next government, which will be a continuation of the previous government or the current government that we have. And now we are talking about some positions, especially between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). And I hope we can reach a desirable solution that is also reasonable and consistent with the election results.

Asharq News : Prime Minister, in what way is there any link between forming the government in Kurdistan and forming it in Baghdad? And I want to know your opinion also on the request of some Sunnis to obtain the presidency of the republic. In return, should the presidency of parliament go to the Kurds?

Masrour Barzani: Frankly, the Kurdistan elections are for the Kurdistan Regional Government, so they are not directly linked in any way to what is happening, as you know, in the upcoming elections in October in Iraq. That's why we hope to be able to form our government before the elections are held in Iraq. But of course, everything is connected. I mean, we are still talking about one country.We are talking about the three main components: you have Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs, then you have Kurds. We also have Turkmen and Christians; we have Assyrians, as you know, Chaldeans. We have different components in this country, but the three main components are Kurds and Arabs. Now, it would not make sense if all executive branches were subject to one nationality, even if this was a symbolic gesture. The Kurds prefer to obtain the presidency because that is the standard. I mean, there is no law for that, but there was a standard that in previous government formations and position selections, the presidency was always allocated to a Kurd, and we hope that continues to maintain unity and show that the Kurds are one of the main components of this country.

Asharq News : Since we are talking about relations with Baghdad, there is a Turkish decision to stop oil exports through the pipeline to Ceyhan port, and Ankara is also seeking a comprehensive agreement with Baghdad. How do you feel about that?

Masrour Barzani: There is a long contract between Iraq and Turkey regarding the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP), which will end in 2026. So this ends in less than a year, and now the Iraqi decision is what will decide whether they want to renew their contract with Baghdad or not. We have heard that Turkey did not accept the renewal under the same conditions, so there may be new conditions, and this must happen between the two countries. How it will be, we still do not know. I think there is still a lot of time to negotiate any upcoming deals. But Turkey did not stop oil exports; rather, it was a court decision after the Iraqi Oil Ministry filed a lawsuit, and a decision from a French court stopped oil exports. As a result, as you know, I think everyone lost a lot.

Asharq News : Where have negotiations with Baghdad on the oil and gas law reached? Do you expect it to be passed soon? Or do you expect the stalemate to continue?

Masrour Barzani: Frankly, this is a question I hope Baghdad will answer, because we were ready to pass the oil and gas law in 2007. There were a few attempts since then, and unfortunately, this law has not been passed in the federal government. This is the best way to move forward to resolve all the outstanding issues that exist now between Baghdad and Erbil and in general. So the oil and gas law is very important to us, and we are ready to continue re-engaging with Baghdad on the existence of a fair and new law that also serves federal Iraq, because the law that Baghdad relies on now is a law from the past and does not represent the federal government.

Asharq News : Where have matters reached on the issue of salaries and the budget, because the files are still thorny? Is there a permanent solution regarding the agreement, or will the relationship remain hostage to these tug-of-wars and skirmishes?

Masrour Barzani: Frankly, it is very regrettable that citizens' salaries become a political card or become a dispute between Baghdad and Erbil. According to the law, according to the constitution, we are entitled to receive their salaries without delay and without any problems. But unfortunately, using people's salaries as political pressure is unacceptable. It is unconstitutional; it is illegal. Even the Federal Court decided that people's salaries should not be part of any dispute between Baghdad and Erbil. But unfortunately, we have seen salaries delayed for three months, and recently, just today, the salaries for May were paid, and we are now waiting for the salary for June and also July. But to be very frank with you, Kurdistan, as a federal entity, is entitled to its share, not just salaries but its share of the total Iraqi budget. This is the right way, and the correct way is for Kurdistan to participate in Iraqi revenues and receive its share of the total Iraqi revenues. This is not the case today. Now the federal Ministry of Finance interferes in the details of the Kurdistan Region's finances, which is a violation of the constitution and Kurdistan's rights. So the best way, the final solution, and the most reasonable, and the most constitutional solution is to agree on a share for Kurdistan within the next budget law.

Asharq News : Prime Minister, Baghdad insists that the problems are technical and not political. How do you comment?

Masrour Barzani: Frankly, these are completely political issues, because if they were technical or legal, we sent delegations back and forth to Baghdad, and all these technical and legal issues were resolved each time. And we promise that after the remaining technical problems for the upcoming salaries are resolved. But at some stage, new problems will appear. And to prove the fact that this problem is political, we can look back and see how Baghdad dealt with Kurdistan in other areas. For example, 3.5 million people were employed in Iraq in the past few years; none of them were for Kurdistan. 50 billion dollars were borrowed by the federal government. There was not a single dollar for Kurdistan. But in debt repayment, Kurdistan had to pay from its share. So we do not benefit from it, but we have to pay from Kurdistan's share. More than 7 million people are paid social welfare salaries in Iraq by the federal government; among them, only 72,000 are from Kurdistan. This represents 1% . So there is a lot of discrimination. There is a lot of injustice and unfairness in dealing with Kurdistan. Therefore, there is no way except the existence of a strong political will to exert more pressure on Kurdistan, marginalize Kurdistan, and weaken Kurdistan. And certainly, salaries are used as political pressure against Kurdistan.

Asharq News : How do you evaluate the position of the Federal Court regarding the region's rights with the presence of a new president? Do you consider it fair?

Masrour Barzani: Frankly, there have been some changes in the Federal Court, and the latest formation of the Federal Court, again, must be in accordance with the constitution. It obtained the approval of parliament, so the Federal Court must be formed in accordance with the constitution and according to the manner stipulated in the constitution. But now, with the changes that have occurred, I think the decisions that were taken tried at least to distance themselves from the areas that they believe are not within their judicial jurisdictions. So I think the two decisions that the new Federal Court made were fair and just.

Asharq News : What are the main obstacles preventing the activation of Article 140?

Masrour Barzani: This article, of course, is dedicated to determining the status of disputed areas in Iraq, especially in Kirkuk. The biggest obstacle is political will. There is no will in Baghdad to implement Article 140. Many years have passed, and there is a roadmap for how to implement Article 140. People who left those areas were compensated; they were brought in to change the demographic composition in the region. But unfortunately, they took their compensations but never left. And now there is also a continuation of the same policy of demographic change in the region, which has not stopped. There is still harassment of our people, and you know what if they are farmers and what if they are the original residents in those areas. And the process is not moving forward because the political will is not present. When there is will, there is a way, and there is already a constitutional way to implement Article 140. But unfortunately, it has not been done because, as I said, there is no will and strong desire in Baghdad to implement Article 140.

Asharq News : What about the reform program of the regional government, Prime Minister? In various fields, especially regarding the digitization of public services and infrastructure development.

Masrour Barzani: Frankly, there have been a lot of reforms in Kurdistan. As you have seen, in recent times, there have been some very clear changes, especially in electricity. I can say that the only three cities in the entire country that have 24-hour electricity are in Kurdistan: Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, and Dohuk. We are also planning to provide 24-hour electricity by next year for all parts of Kurdistan. We also provide electricity to other parts of the country. There is a lot we can do if there is better understanding and more support. This is one of the reforms whose results we see, which we started a year ago, and now we see the result in action. And by next year, we can see that all of Kurdistan will be covered with 24-hour electricity. And also water projects: just a few days ago, I announced the water project in Erbil, which will provide enough water for the city and will eliminate an existing problem for more than 30 years, and will solve the problem for an additional 30 years in the future. And Erbil is now the only city in the entire country that does not suffer from water problems. So of course, there are some adjustments that need to be made with the new system, but these are some things that people actually see. And also in the banking sector and digitization of services: we have done a lot of things that may not be visible like these other projects, but this is the infrastructure we are building for the Kurdistan economy. And we are trying to provide better services to people, even if you look at other sectors like the health sector or public roads, you see that there are a lot of ongoing projects to help in rehabilitating people and also improving living standards, not only for the Kurdish people who live here but also for those who visit Kurdistan. We have bigger plans for tourism in different parts of the country, and all of this—we hope to soon witness a transformation in all these sectors in Kurdistan.

Asharq News : Prime Minister, in light of the suspension of oil exports to Turkey and also Ankara's search for this comprehensive agreement with Baghdad, what is the alternative? Do you have proposed economic plans? Do you have new development plans? Do you have a vision for this matter?

Masrour Barzani: We are trying to cooperate with the federal government to reach the best solution. As you asked in your previous question, if we have an oil law, I think we can address all these issues very easily. Without it, the matter will remain a challenge. We do not want more confrontation; we want more cooperation with the federal government and also with neighboring countries. We hope we can find a way to export Iraqi oil to Turkey, and I think we are close to that, as there was a new agreement with the federal government to export oil. And of course, if there are other options, we are more than happy to explore and see. The entire region needs energy, and we have energy, and we are ready to provide this energy in the best possible way.

Asharq News : Speaking of agreements and searching for alternatives, the region is heading toward new contracts with international companies or companies far from Baghdad. And if we say that happened, what would be the repercussions?

Masrour Barzani: I think we should return to the constitution again. Kurdistan has constitutional rights to explore, develop, and sign contracts with companies. And all contracts have been challenged in the past, and the courts in Baghdad ruled in favor of Kurdistan on this matter. Therefore, there is no problem; there are no obstacles for Kurdistan not to sign additional contracts with oil companies that may be interested in coming and investing in Kurdistan. It is a constitutional right for Kurdistan, and we will not give up this right.

Asharq News : Prime Minister, is there any intention to transform Erbil into a regional, commercial, and logistical center? And what are the most prominent challenges for you?

Masrour Barzani: Of course, we are working to transform Kurdistan into an economic center, not only for the Kurdistan Region but for the entire country, for all of Iraq and the region. We have the potential; we have natural resources; we have institutions; and we have education. We can transform this country into a much stronger economic center and power for the region. But of course, we need a shared vision in Baghdad as well. We hope they are supportive and see the successes in Kurdistan as successes for the entire country. To be very frank, I said that when I inaugurated the project a few days ago: we are ready to use our expertise in other parts of Iraq. Iraq is a rich country; it has resources and can do that. All they need is proper management. We have good experience, and we have the will to exchange our experience with other parts of Iraq, and we can start from there. Then they can see that cooperation for success is much better than trying to prevent us from succeeding and moving forward.

Asharq News : Let's talk about the region's relations with the Gulf states, and specifically the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. How do you describe them?

Masrour Barzani: We have great respect for the leadership and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We have historical relations with the royal family and also with the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we are ready to participate more. And we hope that Saudi investors in particular look at Kurdistan as a new investment area they can enter, and I think we can benefit for the sake of both countries. So we have very good relations, but we still want more connections and more Saudi companies, and perhaps Kurdish businessmen looking for opportunities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Asharq News : What is the current relationship with Ankara? How do you describe the relationship with Turkey? And does Turkey interfere in the Kurdish political decision?

Masrour Barzani: Frankly, we have good relations with Turkey, and our relations have improved over the years. There is better understanding; there are a lot of economic and commercial relations that we have with Turkey.And also, there are shared challenges that we have faced with Turkey. So our relations are very good, and Turkey has not really interfered in the internal politics of the region. But it is clear that they have problems with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and the ongoing war in our region, especially for the future of border areas. And what we look forward to is better relations with Turkey as well. The new initiative, so there is a lot.

Asharq News : How do you deal with Iranian pressures? Do you believe there is balance or bias?

Masrour Barzani: Iran is a big neighbor to the entire country, and we share a long border with Iran. We understand that they have some major concerns when it comes to their national security. I think there is a lot of exaggeration sometimes, and perhaps there is also a negative side always. As you know, Kurdistan is accused or false claims are made about Kurdistan. But Kurdistan always defends its relations with all its neighbors and also with Iran. And Kurdistan has never been part of any conspiracy or will be part of any source of threat to any of the neighboring countries. So I think there is a lot of exaggeration and many false claims that in some cases—not all, but some people accuse Kurdistan of that. But we also have responsible people from Iran who come to Kurdistan and thank the authorities in Kurdistan for their responsible position, especially in the recent problems that the region has gone through.

Asharq News : There are developments in Syria, and the situation there poses a new challenge for the new Syrian government related to the Kurds, and specifically with the PKK. In your opinion, will there be a relationship between the two sides? How do you describe it? From your point of view, will the region play a mediating role between them?

Masrour Barzani: This is a different country; we cannot interfere; we cannot dictate; we cannot say what they want and what they should do. But it is clear that we have expressed our readiness for mediation if there is a possibility, especially since we have, as you know, a lot of influence on the Kurds in Syria. And there have been a lot of talks; also, President Masoud Barzani called on the Kurdish factions to come to Kurdistan, and he gave them guidance on unity and reaching an agreement with Damascus for a much better future. But of course, this should be a relationship with real rights for the Kurds, Alawites, Druze, Arabs, and everyone in Syria to reach an agreement and pact in a way that serves everyone's interests in the country in the best possible manner. Therefore, we hope that Syria will have an inclusive government that protects the rights of all communities, and that everyone will ultimately emerge from the ashes of the wars for many years in Syria. Therefore, we certainly support a more stable Syria, and this is better for all of us.

Trends: Damascus must also be open to the Kurds and meet their needs as well, and the rest in the future.

Asharq News : Is the United States still a strategic security guarantor for the region, and how do you describe the relationship with the United States?

Masrour Barzani: We are very grateful for all the support that the United States has always provided to Kurdistan, and we look at them as one of our closest partners and supporters. We are indebted for the support they provided us during the wars against ISIS and their continued support for Kurdistan, which is invaluable. Therefore, we appreciate the support provided by the United States and look forward to strengthening our relations with the United States to higher levels.

Asharq News : Do you support reviving the peace process between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)? And does the Kurdistan Region have a role in this file as well?

Masrour Barzani: We believe it is a very good initiative; I hope it succeeds. We have spoken to both sides, and we encourage them to ensure the success of these peace talks, and we believe that the entire region will benefit from it.

Asharq News : Since you are neighbors with Iran, you spoke about the matter in detail. What and how do you see this conflict between Iran and Israel?

Masrour Barzani: No one wants war; we certainly do not. We believe that any confrontation, any war, and any deterioration of security in the region will have an impact on everyone, including us. Therefore, we hope that peace and prosperity will prevail in the end, and that this will be the end of wars and a new stage of peace talks and stability will replace all these confrontations.

Asharq News : In your opinion, to what extent do Israeli threats to Iran affect you? How will they reflect on you? To what extent are you concerned about this threat?

Masrour Barzani: We are not part of this problem; we are stuck in the middle. We do not support any wars. We do not support instability in the region. We hope that peace and dialogue will replace threats and wars.