By Tahseen Wsu Abdullah
There are many long-standing issues between Erbil and Baghdad that need to be resolved. Commitment and finding new ways to negotiate may be the best solution. Whatever the conflicts of the past, they must be abandoned and ignored to achieve larger goals, which include the development of common interests and the radical overcoming of obstacles and conflicts Convinced that this mechanism is appropriate for political and security stability.
There are a number of common interests between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, for example, trade, border security, having a strong and permanent relationship, the economic welfare of citizens and many other important sectors. Those interests can only be realized through strong partnerships, not constant competition. The Kurdistan Region has consistently emphasized unity and strengthening relations at the level of the presidency and the prime minister to achieve these goals and reconciliation and stability in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq needs. For this purpose, the Kurdistan Region has consistently adopted the mechanism of dialogue as a solution to resolve conflicts in recent years, which reflects the fact that the Kurdistan Region as a general strategy of issue management has opened the mechanism of understanding and dialogue the principles on which the new Iraq was built after the fall of the Ba’ath regime.
Relations do not always remain the same level and change a lot, as they have gone through many ups and downs since 2003, but it is important to take advantage of these changes and move forward, especially the recent regional changes that have changed many equations This direction has been constantly emphasized by the Kurdistan Region in the management of various issues.
The constitution can always be the basis for negotiations and a guide for dialogue between the booth sides. In this regard, the Kurdistan Region has repeatedly shown its readiness to negotiate and meet with Baghdad officials for a permanent solution to the conflicting issues.
A new situation has emerged for Erbil and Baghdad to reach a comprehensive joint agreement to resolve their differences. However, this approach is not without challenges because there is a trend in the Iraqi political process that believes that a policy of containment should be adopted against the Kurdistan Region, He has a decision on these issues.
The relationship between Erbil and Baghdad is between two approaches, one is the gathering of common interests, the other is the domination of unilateral hegemony and self-imposition, which problematizes the circle of relations and marginalizes solutions. These two types of perceptions govern the level and type of two-way relations. Baghdad, as the main actor in relations, especially after a series of changes in the political process, is in practice more inclined to a hegemonic and unilateral approach in managing relations.
This is the biggest challenge to finding appropriate common solutions to the problems and issues of conflict between the two sides. So, the direction of relationships depends on this kind of mentality and understanding.