Iraqi FM affirms adherence to security agreement with Iran

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, confirmed on Thursday the Iraqi government’s commitment to the security agreement concluded with Iran.

Hussein’s statements took place during his meeting on Thursday with the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, where they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two neighboring countries, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

Both sides discussed the implementation of the security agreement and the disarmament of armed groups on the Iraqi-Iranian border in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Hussein also discussed with the Iranian President the political and security situations in the region and the role of countries in the region in resolving crises and confronting challenges.

During a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday, Hussein announced the disarmament of the groups located on the Iraqi-Iranian border.

“We are reaching the final goal of the plan agreed upon by the two countries. The groups on the Iraqi-Iranian border have been disarmed, and refugee camps, supervised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), have been set up,” the Iraqi Foreign Minister said.

Last year, Iran bombarded more than once the sites of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, whom Tehran accuses of participating in the protests that shook Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, after she was arrested by the Iranian morality police.

The two countries concluded a security agreement last March, but Tehran demands that Iraq disarm Iranian Kurdish opposition groups by September 19 and evacuate them to camps.

In a joint press conference on Tuesday with the Austrian Foreign Minister, Alexander Schallenberg, Hussein stated that these groups have been in the Kurdistan region of Iraq for four or five decades.

Hussein also elaborated that these groups have been moved from the border areas with Iran to remote camps in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

In recent months, senior Iranian officials have called on Iraq to implement its obligations regarding the Iranian opposition groups.

Although several meetings have been held between officials from Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has not commented on these measures.

In late August, the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said the date set to disarm and move opposition groups from the Iraqi-Iranian border would not be extended.