“Barzani in power for two more years is an important indication that Turkey’s relations with the Kurdish region will significantly develop during this period. For Turkey, Barzani as the head of the Kurdish region in Iraq means maintaining stability,” Bilgay Duman, an expert on Iraq at the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) told Today’s Zaman.
Over the past few months, the KRG’s ruling and opposition politicians have been at odds on whether to permit Barzani to stand for another term in power. Iraq’s Kurdish region parliament voted on Sunday to extend the term of Barzani until August 2015 despite the harsh opposition of some lawmakers.
According to experts, the coming two years of Barzani rule will further develop the economic ties between the KRG and Turkey — a situation that disturbs the central government in Baghdad.