ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iranian Kurdish parties, not invited to the US-Poland conference in Warsaw taking place this week, say the world must work with opposition forces within Iran if it wants to contain the Islamic republic’s destabilizing activities.
“The different international views and approaches towards the Islamic Republic have helped the regime,” read a statement from the Cooperation Centre of Iranian Kurdistan’s Political Parties issued on Monday.
The parties argue that the Iranian regime has been able to survive years of wars, protests, and sanctions because it plays on “disunity on both domestic and international levels.”
The Cooperation Centre was formed by five Iranian Kurdish parties to better coordinate their activities. The Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran (KDP-I), Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), and Komala are among the members.
They condemned the fact that they were not invited to attend the Warsaw conference, happening on February 13 and 14, nor were they consulted about it, but said they would welcome a unified international voice against Tehran, if one emerges from the talks.
Such unity is unlikely.
Russia is not attending; neither is the European Union’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini. Lebanon’s foreign minister announced on Monday they were boycotting the conference and the Palestinian Authority has declined its invitation.
The United States and Poland have insisted the purpose of the conference is to address threats across the Middle East like terrorism, missile development, and maritime security. But many believe the main goal is to isolate Iran.