Nechirvan Barzani the nephew of the former president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani become the number one man in the Kurdistan Region after his uncle left the presidency office on November 1, according to Kurdish sources.
51 years old Nechirvan was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) by his uncle Barzani back on 7 March 2012. Nechirvan is also a leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) like his uncle, and he is strictly committed to his polices, according to Iraqi sources.
Nechirvan discussed the situation in the Kurdistan Region with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a phone call on November 3, according Kurdish sources. The Kurdish Rudaw TV reported that the two sides stressed the need for political negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad during the phone call.
According to Rudaw, Nechirvan told Tillerson that he hopes that a negotiation could “solve the current crisis between the two sides.” Nechirvan also expressed his concerns regarding the continued military advances of the Iraqi Army.
“US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressed his concerns over the tensions between Erbil and Baghdad and reemphasized the support of the United States for the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq,” the KRG said in an official statement.
Nechirvan statements proves that he is willing to continue carrying his uncle policy regarding the relationships between the Kurdistan Region and the Federal Government. A policy that brought many problems to the Kurdistan Region, one of them is the risk of losing the border with Syria.
Nechirvan is not the only relative of Barzani who is occupying a sensitive position in the KRG. Barzani’s own son, Masrour is the current head of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC).
With Nechirvan and Masrour occupying the highest positions in the Kurdistan Region and the KDP dominating the KRG’s Parliament, it’s fair to conclude that Masoud Barzani is still in the core of the decision making mechanism in Iraqi Kurdistan.
