Kurds will unite one day, says Barzani

BAGHDAD / SOFIA

We are a nation like the Arabs, Turks, or Persians,’ Barzani says in Iraq.

The Kurdish people will one day unite and determine their own fate, but this will not happen by violence and weapons, the leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Massoud Barzani, has said, adding that neither division nor unification will come about by force.

The Kurdish people have been oppressed for years, but one day they will unite, Barzani said, speaking to Iraqi television channel Al-Sharqiya. “This truth cannot be hidden. We are a nation like the Arabs, Turks, or Persians. They do not allow Kurds to form a nation,” Barzani said, according to Doğan news agency.

“Everyone is waiting for the good news, and this can be announced anytime. I don’t know if I will witness it, but this a truth that cannot be stopped.”

Meanwhile, a government press office in Bulgaria said Barzani is seeking investment in the region’s farming, health, and construction sectors. “We will prioritize those Bulgarian companies that are willing to invest and do business in our region,” Barzani was quoted as saying during a meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. Barzani and Borisov agreed to cooperate on building strategic infrastructure, especially in dam construction, as well as in the farming sector, Agence France-Presse reported. Healthcare was another potential area of cooperation mentioned by the Kurdish leader. Some Kurdish companies have also shown interest in investing in Bulgaria, he added. Barzani arrived yesterday for a one-day visit to Sofia, where he will also meet with Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov and speaker of Parliament Tsetska Tsacheva.