Russia updates ties with Kurds

34
Author: Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar was a career diplomat at the Indian Foreign Office. His appointments included the Soviet Union, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Turkey.

An unusual visitor arrived in Moscow last Tuesday - President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masood Barzani. The Kurds designated this event as “the first official visit” of Barzani to Russia. Moscow called it a “working visit”, but nonetheless with official attributes - President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday received Barzani in the Kremlin.

Historical the severity of the moment is obvious. According to legend, 60 years ago, Masoud’s father, the legendary Kurdish leader Malla Mustafa Barzani, stood at the Kremlin’s Spassky tower and knocked on a massive gate, shouting: “This is knocking on the Kurdish people.” He fled to Russia with a thousand Kurdish militants after the collapse of the so-called Republic of Mahabad in 1947. Joseph Stalin decided to grant him asylum in Russia, where he lived for 12 years.

Son visited Mustafa’s Moscow residence on Tuesday. Indeed, Russian relations with the "mountain Kurds" in the north of Iraq have returned back in time, and even 60 years ago they were already permeated with the policies of the most intriguing properties. Here, national interests intersect with regional politics, while the geopolitical maneuvers of the great powers lend real drama to what is happening.

The visit of Masud Barzani means that Moscow is playing a game with high stakes. In addition to the huge unresolved Kurdish national issue, at least half a dozen plans overlap - Iraq and the fragmentation of Syria, Turkish "neo-Ottomanism", Iranian explosive growth as a regional power, the "Arab spring", the weakening of the influence of the United States in the region and, of course, the "return "post-Soviet Russia to the Middle East.

Barzani’s arrival in Moscow coincides with a defining moment in the history of Iraq. Kurdish nationalism rises to the heights, drawing inspiration from the Arab spring. The regional autonomy of Iraqi Kurdistan, which arose in the early 1990's, when the “no-fly zone” was introduced in Iraq under the leadership of the United States after the Gulf War, is striving for independence.
Waving a red flag

According to Kurdistan, Barzani proposed to discuss "a number of important issues relating to relations between Russia and Kurdistan, as well as political events in Iraq and in the region as a whole." In addition to Barzani, the delegation included his son and chief security adviser Masrour Barzani and senior officials responsible for oil and gas, construction and housing.

Given the current state of US-Russian relations, it may be tempting to see "anti-American" impetus in Barzani’s Moscow visit. But Moscow and Washington are probably on this side of the barricades in this story. No one wants the breakup of Iraq. Both are worried about the increased activity of al-Qaida groups in Iraq.

Again, the known reserves of Iraqi oil are estimated at 143 100 000 000 barrels and at least as many are found in unexplored regions of the country. Iraq may at some point overtake Saudi Arabia, which has stocks of 296 500 000 000 barrels. Suffice to say that the state of stability in Iraq affects the world oil market. In addition, the tsunami of the spread of Shiite influence draws its inspiration from Iraq.

But Russian and American interests and priorities still diverge. Washington is obsessed with the proximity of the Iraqi government and Tehran. Washington cherished Barzani in the era of Saddam Hussein, but at the same time did not accept his current loss of influence in Baghdad, on which the crucial importance of Washington’s ability to influence a number of regional issues, especially in the Persian Gulf region, depends.

The US ambassador to Ankara, Francis Ricardon, recently waving a red flag on Turkey’s flirt with Kurdistan. He said:

“Turkey and Iraq have no choice but to strengthen close ties, if they want to optimize the use of Iraq’s resources and export them through Turkey. If Turkey and Iraq are not able to optimize their economic ties, failure can be even worse. More violent conflict may occur in Iraq and [the chances of] the disintegration of Iraq can [increase]. And that would not be good either for Turkey, or for the United States, or anyone else in this region. "

On one side

Indeed, if Iraq falls apart, the wreckage will scatter far and wide. The United States and Russia have a common interest in preventing such a breakdown. But in the current imperious dynamics of the region, Moscow’s ability to do something there, perhaps, is better than that of Washington.

Russia has established cordial relations with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his government in Baghdad and hopes to see it through (despite fierce US resistance) armory the $ 4 billion deal that the Iraqi leader agreed on during his visit to Moscow in October. Lukoil is also doing a tumultuous business with Baghdad, providing favorable conditions for the development of the West Qurna-2 field in southern Iraq, where two-thirds of Iraqi oil’s known reserves are located.

After meeting with Barzani on Tuesday in Moscow, the Russian energy leviathan Gazprom said: "The parties discussed prospects for deepening bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas sector. In particular, the meeting considered the potential for interaction between Gazprom and Kurdistan's oil and gas companies in the field of oil exploration, development and operation of oil and gas gas fields. "

Barzani said in Moscow on Tuesday: "We are satisfied with the work of Gazprom Neft in the [Kurdistan] region. New agreements have been reached in recent days with its Russian company."

However, the game against Baghdad for Erbil and vice versa is not in Russian interests. Putin recently recently called Maliki for the second time in the last two months and probably brought him up to date with Moscow’s intentions to strengthen ties with Barzani. To drive a wedge between Turkey and Barzani is one of the key Russian goals, for which al-Maliki would be grateful.

Both in Moscow and in Baghdad, they are looking at Turkey’s ambitious plan, which has offered itself as a “energy hub” connecting the Middle East with Europe, especially after recent reports that Turkey plans to build a new Nabucco pipeline from Kurdistan.

However, the point is that Russia is categorically against the collapse of Iraq, since its consequences can be very serious for the security of Transcaucasia. Equally, Russia will deter Barzani from participating in the Turkish frauds in Syria. Barzani told the Russian media that he would focus on possible solutions to the Syrian conflict.

Dangerous waltz

What works for Moscow is a big lack of trust between Barzani and Ankara, which is a legacy of the turbulent history of the region and cannot be easily discarded. On the other hand, only Turkey can offer a vital lifeline to Kurdistan, which is landlocked and whose economic viability as a separate unit, independent of Baghdad, depends solely on access to the world energy market.

In addition, there is also another coincidence of interests between Ankara and Barzani. Ankara needs relatively cheap oil supplies from Kurdistan to meet its growing energy needs. In 2011, Turkey provided 60% of its gas needs by importing from Iran and about 20% from Russia. In addition, the US Energy Information Administration estimates that Turkey imports about half of its oil from Iran.

But recently, after the decision was made to deploy the US missile defense system, Turkey’s relations with Russia and Iran became problematic. The Turkish strategy to protect Barzani and his family, which has extensive business interests, especially in the export of oil from Kurdistan, is based on the assumption that Barzani will gradually work with Ankara on regional security issues.
On the other hand, Barzani’s friendly relations with the Turks were never approved by the Kurdish Peshmerga. In addition, they are unhappy and Syrian Kurds. The recent illness of Jalal Talabani (Iraqi president and leader of the rival Kurdistan Peoples Union) has brought new uncertainty. Tehran and Ankara may end up sponsoring competing Kurdish groups and there is a greater likelihood of intra-Kurdish violence that could erupt in the future.

Barzani is walking on thin ice, and he seems to understand that his Turkish waltz may soon become untenable. It annoys Tehran, Baghdad and Damascus. Meanwhile, being in Moscow, Barzani could become a witness to the fact that Russia moved to the main stage in the intra Syrian political dialogue. The meeting of the Russian-Arab Forum was held in Moscow on Wednesday.

Translation specifically for the site "War and Peace"
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34 comments
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  1. Nevsky
    +7
    28 February 2013 16: 01
    Wow, this 21st century, I feel I’ll have to redraw the atlas soon ... (if you recall the beginning of the 20th century)
    1. +12
      28 February 2013 16: 08
      Quote: Nevsky
      I feel soon have to redraw the atlas.

      Atlas recommend leaving as a rarity. But the fact that you have to draw a new one is for sure laughing
      1. +4
        28 February 2013 16: 11
        Quote: Ruslan67
        But the fact that you have to draw a new one is for sure

        If there is anything left to draw. lol
        1. Santa bear
          +8
          28 February 2013 16: 18
          but whose blood will we draw? big question .. the main question ..
          1. +2
            28 February 2013 23: 28
            whose blood we will draw

            Have you read the article? The blood of people who want to free themselves from foreign oppression. And with the blood of their enemies, of course. What does your allusion to our blood have to do with it? Ours will be weapons and political support. This is enough for any "helper" of the Arab spring to understand how fragile the world is. Especially Arabic, his mother ...
            1. opkozak
              +1
              28 February 2013 23: 37
              A British army gurkha (a mercenary from Nepal) serving in Afghanistan was removed from service after decapitating a Taliban commander who died in battle, writes The Daily Mail. A private soldier cut off the head of the Taliban leader with a special kukri knife to deliver it to the base and present it to his superiors for identification.

              The incident occurred in the area of ​​the village of Babaji of Helmand province. The first battalion of the Royal Guard was to carry out from the battlefield the corpse of the deceased Taliban in full, and not in part. But as soon as the soldiers set to work, they came under heavy machine-gun fire. It was then that the young gurkha decided that the death of a high-ranking Taliban could be proved with the help of one head.

              The incident occurred during a period of special tension in the ranks of the Gurkhas fighting in the limited contingent of NATO in Afghanistan. Last week, an Afghan soldier shot and killed three British troops from the First Royal Gurkha Rifle Regiment and switched to the Taliban side.
      2. +7
        28 February 2013 16: 12
        I would call an article - Russia sends greetings to Erdogan laughing
        Quote: Ruslan67
        But the fact that you have to draw a new one is for sure

        Do not forget to remove America from the map winked
        1. +6
          28 February 2013 16: 15
          Quote: Alexander Romanov
          Do not forget to remove America from the map

          Give us free rein so Russia will become an island laughing
          1. yak69
            +3
            28 February 2013 22: 27
            Quote: Ruslan67
            Give us free rein so Russia will become an island

            Rather the mainland! And that is very normal: the mainland of Russia - "From the taiga to the British seas."
            That's right, the song just got ahead of time.
            It will only be better for everyone - the Germans will go to the Urals to develop virgin lands, the French in the south will teach them how to grow good grapes and brandy, the Spaniards will grow natural vegetables and crush butter, the Italians cheese and ham, the Dutch milk and flowers, well, the place has already been allocated to the Swiss for a long time - standing at the restaurant door.
            Oh, let's live !!!
            We isolate America with a total security system and sometimes we will supply them with humanitarian aid in the form of delicacies. Who will behave well, let us go on vacation.
            Somehow like this.....
            laughing
        2. +6
          28 February 2013 16: 23
          Quote: Alexander Romanov
          Do not forget to remove America from the map


          We’ll put America, you don’t need to remove it from the map, but you will probably have to rename the states in the province. Well, there is the New York region, for example, Washington, the San Francisco Region, etc .......

          But seriously, if Russia manages to somehow take control of the common Kurdish issue, then we can influence almost the entire Middle East.
          1. +2
            28 February 2013 16: 33
            Quote: Victor
            But seriously, if Russia manages to somehow take control of the common Kurdish issue, then we can influence almost the entire Middle East.

            In this case, the Kurds in Iraq may soon be declared terrorists.
            1. +2
              28 February 2013 16: 51
              Quote: Alexander Romanov
              Kurds in Iraq may soon be declared terrorists.

              Then in Turkey at the same time and democratize it in full wassat
              1. +1
                28 February 2013 16: 55
                Quote: Ruslan67
                Then in Turkey at the same time and democratize it in full

                Ruslan, what does it mean to democratize? Clarify, if you propose Antalya to become an All-Russian health resort, then I do not mind.
                1. +1
                  28 February 2013 17: 02
                  Quote: Alexander Romanov
                  Antalya make the All-Russian health resort, then I do not mind.

                  I also good Only now the staff will have to be replaced am laughing Can you imagine how fun it would be if the states declare their NATO ally an enemy of democracy with all the consequences and departures? But Kurds can make a happy life there bully
              2. Kaa
                +3
                28 February 2013 19: 57
                Quote: Ruslan67
                Then in Turkey at the same time and democratize it in full

                Yes, they tried it already, Nikita gave slack: "After the end of the war, the Soviet army did not leave the northern Iranian provinces, inhabited mainly by Azerbaijanis and Kurds. Stalin decided to start the first phase of the geopolitical combination he had long conceived: two new states appeared in the border areas of Iran - the Autonomous Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Kurdistan. The governments in these republics were formed from members of the Iranian Communist Party and the Kurdish Workers' Party. In the first case, the prospect of the unification of "two Azerbaijanis" into a single state appeared. In the second - the creation of Kurdistan with the inclusion of part of the territory of Iran, Iraq and Syria. As Pavel Sudoplatov writes in his memoirs, "with the help of the Kurds, we could permanently disable the oil fields in Iraq (Mosul), which were then extremely important in supplying oil products to the entire Anglo-American military group in the Middle East and the Mediterranean." And not only this. According to Sudoplatov, the developed plan was to form a special brigade of Kurds - one and a half thousand people - for sabotage operations in the Middle East. It could also be used for the planned overthrow of the Nuri Said government in Baghdad, which would seriously undermine the influence of the British throughout the Middle East region, and would disable the oil pipelines in Iraq, Iran and Syria in the event of an outbreak of hostilities or a direct threat of a nuclear attack on the USSR. Moreover, the then leader of the Iraqi Kurds, Barzani, agreed to sign a cooperation agreement with the Soviet government, in exchange for guarantees of assistance in creating the Kurdish Republic... ... In December 1946, the Iranian government, with the support of the United States and Great Britain, brought its army into the northern regions and liquidated the separatist regimes of Azerbaijanis and Kurds there. However, by and large, for Stalin, the "Iranian foothold" was of no appreciable value. He was more worried about the Truman Doctrine, which provided military guarantees to Turkey in the event of a war with the USSR. In response, Stalin decided to play the "card" of the southern Arab territories, coupled with the idea of ​​supporting the creation of the state of Israel. According to his plan, it was Israel's alliance with Kurdistan that could change the balance of power in the region of the entire Middle East.. But something unintended by Kremlin strategists happened. Israel, as a state owed in many respects to the USSR in the restoration of its statehood in the Middle East, refused to follow in the wake of Soviet geopolitics. As a result, the Kurdish project also began to fail. In 1948, Mustafa Barzani's military units were redeployed from Iraq through Iran, first to Azerbaijan, and then to Uzbekistan. Instead of the promised state in the Middle East, the USSR decided to create a Kurdish national-autonomous region on its territory. in 1947, the United States intervened. They have deployed their military and intelligence bases on Turkish territory. Earlier, Harry Truman refused to fulfill the promises made to Stalin by Roosevelt on the deployment of Soviet bases on Libyan and Turkish territory. In the fall of 1951, the US and British navies received the right to use Turkish ports on the Black Sea in the event of a threat to Turkey's security and NATO's defenses. In the spring of 1952, Turkey joined NATO. After Stalin's death, the "Kurdish project" was mothballed for a long time. In May 1953, Moscow announced the recognition of the Soviet-Turkish border, and later Nikita Khrushchev personally apologized to the Turkish ambassador to the USSR for "Stalin's injustices"... http://www.centrasia.ru/newsA.php?st=1238018100
                1. +2
                  28 February 2013 20: 02
                  Quote: Kaa
                  Yes, we tried it already,

                  Well, try again! But is Russia accused of returning to Stalinism? then we will correspond good Give Kurdistan from sea to sea Let them scratch wassat
          2. +1
            28 February 2013 19: 01
            Quote: Victor
            We’ll put America, you don’t need to remove it from the map, but you will probably have to rename the states in the province. Well, there is the New York region, for example, Washington, the San Francisco Region, etc .......

            Why the hell are we subsidizing regions?
        3. +1
          28 February 2013 16: 32
          Quote: Alexander Romanov
          Do not forget to remove America from the map


          Oh! And the eraser will be completely erased. laughing
      3. +1
        28 February 2013 22: 06
        Quote: Ruslan67
        Atlas recommend leaving as a rarity. But the fact that you have to draw a new one is for sure


        Draftsmen only here are a lot of divorce and all the Great ..
    2. +2
      28 February 2013 18: 19
      Turkish aviation strikes Kurdish positions in northern Iraq



      On February 27, Turkish air forces launched a series of airstrikes on the shelters of the militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Northern Iraq. As reported by the Turkish command, not far from the Turkish border seven targets were destroyed, which were shelters of various types. Perhaps during the bombing several militants were killed.

      The last time Turkish combat aircraft attacked PKK camps in northern Iraq last fall. Then f-16 fighter-bombers of the 2nd tactical command of the Turkish Air Force (air base in the province of Diyarbakir) attacked anti-aircraft batteries, shelters and PKK infrastructure, Kurdistan.ru reports.

      Meanwhile, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned on an island near Istanbul, urged militants to stop fighting in Turkey and temporarily leave for Iraq. He believes that in the negotiations with the authorities, which have been ongoing since December 2012, there has been a historic turning point.

      The negotiations have already reached an agreement on a ceasefire since March of this year, but there are no final results yet. Ocalan demands in exchange for the cessation of hostilities to release all Kurds sent to prison on charges of having ties to the PKK, grant their people wide autonomy, and amend the Turkish constitution to recognize the identity of the Kurdish nation.
  2. mankurt
    +5
    28 February 2013 16: 24
    I’ll give you a couple of new future countries in Central and Eastern Europe



  3. +4
    28 February 2013 16: 32
    The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
  4. +3
    28 February 2013 16: 48
    Hands of Kurds we need to strain the Turks
  5. +2
    28 February 2013 17: 11
    Well, relations with the Kurds are not simple either. The same Crimean.
  6. Artmark
    +1
    28 February 2013 18: 06
    Greetings! It seems the story is repeating, it is a pity only there will be a lot of blood. stop
  7. +1
    28 February 2013 18: 06
    We need to use the experience of our sworn friends of Amers - to make history in our own interests with the help of others, conducting inter-naval exercises in the problem region as necessary. wassat
  8. pinecone
    0
    28 February 2013 18: 09
    Translation (or compilation), as always, is done by a specialist from these, which are "ours". ... All the same Newspeak tracing papers from the original language, such as "career" diplomats instead of professional ones.
    But. here something else is more important. There is a ridiculous mistake with the phrase "mountain Kurds" put in quotation marks, when in fact it means a very original term "mountain Turks" used by the authorities of Kemalist Turkey to officially designate representatives of the Kurdish people. The idea was simple - the entire population of the country had to be considered and called only Turks, and nothing else.
    As for the Kurds, initially they always lived in the mountains, so the definition of "mountain Kurds" sounds about the same as "mountain Dagestanis".
  9. 0
    28 February 2013 18: 51
    Our answer to the Turks for the plane and Syria - pepper in the ass!
  10. +3
    28 February 2013 19: 03

    The visit of Masud Barzani means that Moscow is playing a game with high stakes. In addition to the huge unresolved Kurdish national issue, at least half a dozen plans overlap - Iraq and the fragmentation of Syria, Turkish "neo-Ottomanism", Iranian explosive growth as a regional power, the "Arab spring", the weakening of the influence of the United States in the region and, of course, the "return "post-Soviet Russia to the Middle East.

    Well haven't you played enough? As our usual practice shows in what place with such games we find ourselves ????????????
    1. +1
      28 February 2013 19: 53
      Russia in general, for a very long time, did not "play on the world stage", our "friends" in the West, however, like the fifth column inside Russia, liked it very much,

      The era of the nineties is long over! Russia is no longer that - it can and has the right to make diplomatic and political decisions based solely on its interests. The West is too accustomed to ignoring the opinion and interests of Russia - everything has patience!
      Or not only that our diplomats can be beaten in a "banana country", make information "stuffing" about the ownership of the natural resources of Siberia for everyone, detain ships and aircraft ............. Enough, duck and wait for leniency.
  11. Borisych
    -4
    28 February 2013 19: 17
    Garrin
    "Well, haven't you played enough yet? How does our usual practice show where we find ourselves with such games ????"
    This is not "WE" but OUR hucksters. Kurds are at enmity with all surrounding peoples (or rather, they are fighting for self-determination). The hucksters benefit from the instability in this region - oil prices are kept high. By supporting Kurdistan, Russia runs the risk of spoiling relations with Turkey, and with Iran, and with Iraq.
  12. aleks71
    +2
    28 February 2013 20: 15
    and I think so: politics should be based on justice, honesty and compromise. don’t need as a psha, don’t need a geyropa, in short, don’t need someone else’s hands and blood ... honestly .. and only then they will reach you and such a policy will become the basis of the world order ... I understand that it sounds utopian, but after all, someone should someday take the FIRST STEP ....
    1. Octavian avgust
      +1
      28 February 2013 22: 01
      Quote: aleks71
      because someone should ever take the FIRST STEP ....
      Already done and do not count! And they sat on our heads and turned away!
    2. 0
      28 February 2013 22: 09
      that's right +++++++++++++++++
  13. Octavian avgust
    +1
    28 February 2013 21: 59
    It is necessary to support the Kurds, this is one of the largest nations that does not have a state! To play the Kurdish card in their own interests in the Middle East, which the Turks were not used to. And take protection from the newly formed state on the world stage!
  14. 0
    28 February 2013 23: 58
    On the other hand, Barzani's friendly relations with the Turks have never been approved by the Kurdish "Peshmerga"

    And who is Barzani?
  15. enot555
    0
    1 March 2013 08: 54
    Well, that's fine!
  16. +1
    1 March 2013 09: 35
    Kurdistan is Kosovo for Turkey. Why not support the Kurds in this?
  17. -1
    1 March 2013 12: 13
    Kurdish support means spoiling relations with Turkey, Iran and almost completely Arab countries. This is the only problem where the interests of Turks, Arabs and Persians coincide. Want to spoil relations with almost all countries of the Middle East, for the Kurds, who are a project of the USA and Israel and are supervised by them , then with the song and go)))
  18. MLUI
    0
    1 March 2013 17: 13
    right time to help the Turks

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