Barzani said the March 11 Autonomy Agreement was the result of the patient sacrifice of the Peshmerga and the people of Kurdistan, and stood as a clear message from the Kurdish people that they always believe in negotiation and a peaceful solution.
The Kurdish leadership reached a historic agreement on March 11, 1970 with the Iraqi government, which acknowledged the autonomy of the Kurdish authority, allowing the formal use of the Kurdish language in the Region’s schools and the opening of Kurdish literature departments in universities.
The Region had local legislative and enforcement councils but the Kurdish struggle faced a historic setback due to the 1975 Algiers Agreement between Iraq, Iran and Algeria, which saw the central government break the 1970 Autonomy Agreement.
"Unfortunately, there are still people who want to deny the rights of the people of Kurdistan and their constitutional rights,” Barzani said. "We will not give up our rights.”
Controversy remains between the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Region over the Region’s independent sales of oil and natural gas. On March 1, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil announced a committee has been formed to apply the Federal Supreme Court’s ruling from February, which declared the Region’s independent oil and gas sales unconstitutional.
Reporter's code: 50101