Answering a question about the recent Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s travel to Erbil and meeting the leading officials of the region, including former President Masoud Barzani, he stated that the visit was significant and the accompaniment of a big economic delegation proves the significance.

He stated that the visit came at a time that the U.S. is attempting to make Iraq and the Kurdish region to follow the sanctions, stressing that officials in Baghdad and Erbil welcomed the visit and evaluated it as positive which will surely benefits the two sides and would dwindle the impact of the sanctions.

Osman further stated that Iran is the winner of the tension with the U.S. as the later does not follow a concrete policy in the region.

A former Iraqi parliament member, Osman stated about the regional developments and the policy the region should follow in the wake of the developments, that the Kurdistan Region has to make a balance in its ties with the regional and world powers as the region cannot follow a hostile policy towards the powers, adding that the authorities in the White House are well aware that the Kurdish region cannot take a hostile stance towards the Islamic Republic of Iran as the region enjoys deep and extended ties with Iran with a long border.

Answering a question about Washington policies in the Middle East and the new U.S. announcement for withdrawing its forces from Syria, Osman added that the U.S. is puzzled in the Middle East as the government of the U.S. President Donald Trump does not know what it is seeking for in the region. Osman did not predict a good future for the U.S. in the region.

The Kurdish politician further said the military presence of the U.S. in Kurdistan Region would not benefit the people of the region unless an official political agreement is made between the region and the U.S. government and the U.S. give a guarantee to the region.

Reporter’s code: 50101