KRG PM emphasizes constitutional rights on March 11 Agreement anniversary

ERBIL – Commemorating the anniversary of the March 11 Agreement, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani affirmed the Kurdish community’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding their constitutional rights.

Observing the 54th anniversary of the pivotal 1970 accord, Prime Minister Barzani underscored the agreement’s historic significance in a statement. He stressed the critical need to honor and protect the constitutional rights and the governance structure of the Kurdistan Region. Barzani’s remarks were pointed: “In this commemoration, we emphasize the necessity and significance of protecting and respecting the constitutional rights of the Kurdish people and the constitutional framework of the Kurdistan Region. The Kurdish people will never allow their rights to be violated or suffer oppression and tyranny, nor will they allow Iraq to revert to a period of dictatorship and autocracy.”

The 1970, agreement, brokered between Kurdish leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani and Iraqi President Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr, sought to quell longstanding hostilities by acknowledging Kurdish rights within Iraq, marking a step toward Kurdish autonomy. However, the agreement’s objectives were not realized, leading to renewed conflict within four years. This breakdown set the stage for the 1975 Algiers Accords, where Iraq and Iran negotiated an agreement that included the ending of support by Iran to Iraq’s Kurdish rebels in return for settling border disputes.