Shafaq News/ On the occasion of the anniversary of the "March 11th agreement," President Nechirvan Barzani of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq emphasized the significance of fostering mutual understanding among political factions and safeguarding the region's federal structure.
In a statement Barzani reflected on the historical importance of the March 11th, 1970 agreement, “Today marks the fifty-fourth anniversary of the March 11th, 1970 agreement, which the Iraqi authority at that time and the splendid September revolution, led by the eternal Barzani, signed. He stated that "this agreement was a historic milestone and the first official document in modern history.”
Highlighting the enduring impact of the Kurdish people's struggle and sacrifices, Barzani noted “Kurdish people efforts compelled the Iraqi government to acknowledge a portion of the legitimate rights of the Kurdish populace, laying the foundation for subsequent achievements.”
On this commemorative day, Barzani underscored the tragic history of Iraq, marred by suffering and losses resulting from the use of force and the policy of denying rights to the people of Kurdistan and all Iraqi components.
The President lamented the consequences of the Iraqi authorities' abandonment of the agreement, which unleashed war, destruction, and ongoing instability affecting Iraq and its inhabitants to this day.
He said, "On this anniversary, we recall the history of the Iraqi state, which is full of suffering and losses that this country caused by the logic of force and the thought and policy of denying the rights of the people of Kurdistan and the Iraqis in general. The withdrawal of the Iraqi authorities at that time from the agreement led to war, destruction, disasters and ongoing instability in Iraq and its peoples, and the consequences of that withdrawal are still ongoing to this day".
Moreover, he added, "Let us use this anniversary in the Kurdistan Region as an opportunity for mutual understanding among the political parties to resolve the problems and differences and face the challenges together and safeguard our constitutional rights and the federal entity of the Kurdistan Region, and let us learn in Iraq the lessons from the past and history of the country laden with pain, and implement the constitution and the federal system and preserve the rights of all the peoples and components of Iraq, and move towards the future with a shared vision".
President Nechirvan Barzani extended greetings on the anniversary of the March 11th agreement and paid tribute to the martyrs, invoking peace for their pure souls.
Noteworthy, March 11th agreement signed on March 11, 1970, between the Iraqi government led by Saddam Hussein and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Mustafa Barzani. The agreement granted the Kurds autonomy within Iraq, recognized Kurdish as an official language, and acknowledged the national rights of the Kurdish people.
However, the Iraqi regime soon violated the agreement and resumed its attacks on the Kurds. The agreement is considered a historic achievement for the Kurdish cause and a result of the Kurdish resistance in the September revolution.