Dautovic: Iraq cannot recognize Kosovo because it would open the door to the secession of Kurdistan

Foreign policy analyst Mirko Dautovic tells Kosovo Online that the Iraqi government cannot recognize Kosovo due to the internal issue of Kurdistan, as doing so would open the door to the secession of Kurdistan.

Regarding the recent lobbying efforts by former Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj in Iraq for Kosovo’s recognition, Dautovic explains that Hoxhaj met with a former foreign minister and the current minister for economic development, not of Iraq, but of the Kurdistan region, and in fact did not meet with anyone from the Iraqi leadership who holds any significant position.

“Hoxhaj was in Sulaymaniyah, a city in the territory of the Kurdish region, at the Delphi Forum, which is something like a 'Davos for the poor.' He didn’t go there for bilateral meetings as a statesman with other statesmen, but participated in a forum filled with ‘former’ officials. Among the more notable names were Ahmet Davutoglu, former Turkish foreign minister, and Massimo D’Alema, who was Italy’s prime minister 25 years ago. So, it wasn’t a significant event,” Dautovic says.

Still, he points out, there is a reason Kosovo sent a delegate there.

“Kurdistan, like Kosovo, aspires to independence. Back in 1992, they expelled Iraqi troops from their territory. Ever since, from Saddam Hussein’s rule to the current era after the US occupation, the Iraqi state has had no real control over the Kurdish region. Kurdistan seeks independence, so it makes perfect sense that they would invite a representative of a country that has, in their view, succeeded in a secession process, or that has been more successful than Kurdistan,” Dautovic explains.

When asked whether Pristina’s allies are lobbying for Iraq to recognize Kosovo, Dautovic says that “Iraq is not so weak as to act against its own interests.”

“At this moment, Iraq is not an especially strong country, it depends greatly on both the US and Iran. It also cooperates with Turkey, although it is mainly Kurdistan that cooperates with Turkey, which is paradoxical, considering Turkey fights against Kurds on its own territory but works with Iraqi Kurds. But they don’t have that kind of influence over Baghdad. So, while Iraq is not overly stable, it is also not weak enough to act against its own interests,” Dautovic concludes.