Russia's Kurdish dilemma
Russia seeks to place its Kurdish policies in the broader context of a changing Middle East.
When a couple of days ago the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG) decided to grant the citizens of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait the right of non-visa entry to the region, it further worsened Erbil and Baghdad's relationship after many attempts to improve it. As a Kurdish activist explained to me, this step is a sign of “the Kurdish awakening” and a necessary measure to secure full “economic self-reliance” in the region.
For some analysts here in Moscow, this act represents more than that. It can be interpreted as an expression of the KRG’s plan to achieve full independence, at least in the distant future. An Iraqi representative in Moscow, who preferred to remain anonymous, told me earlier this week that the Iraqi government was especially concerned about the provision of free access to Iraq — without Baghdad's approval — for the citizens of Qatar, given the Qatari attitude toward the Iraqi government. Qatari politicians and media regularly accuse Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of supporting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and discriminating against Iraq's Sunni community.
New tensions between Erbil and Baghdad are further complicating Moscow’s objective to equally develop broad cooperation with both the central government of Iraq and the KRG.
Russia has a long history of friendly relations with the Kurds. They still remember Moscow's support for the Kurdish Autonomous Republic declared in Mahabad (Iranian Kurdistan) on Jan. 22, 1946, as well as Russia giving refuge to Mulla Mustapha Barzani, the famous Iraqi Kurdish leader who crossed the Iranian-Soviet border on June 18, 1947, and then spent 12 years in Russia.
