Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani issued a statement on the anniversary of the March 11, 1970 Agreement, a historic declaration of autonomy for the Kurdistan Region within Iraq.

Below is the full statement:

Today, we celebrate the 53rd anniversary of the March 11, 1970 Agreement of the September Revolution led by the late Mustafa Barzani, with the Iraqi government. We salute the souls of all martyrs and heroes of Kurdistan who took part in the great September Revolution.

The March 11 Agreement was a crucial victory and the most important official document that recognized some of the rights of the people of Kurdistan and conveyed their just cause to the world. It became the main basis of all the subsequent achievements of the people of Kurdistan, including the uprising, the establishment of the parliament, government and federalism.

The March 11 agreement was an exemplary solution that could have led Iraq and its people to a brighter future; it could have helped Iraq to become one of the most developed countries in the entire region and the world. But the withdrawal of the Iraqi authorities from the agreement and resorting to the logic of power instead of the power of logic, brought nothing more to Iraq than war, suffering, regression and waste of the wealth of the nation. Iraq continues to pay the price for that mistake up to the present time.

On this occasion, I call on all Iraqi and Kurdistani groups and parties to learn from this history and from the mistakes of the past; and to use Iraq’s material and human resources for the development of the country and the welfare of its citizens. Let us work together to protect the rights of all Iraqi communities, to safeguard the federal system, sovereignty, peace and stability of the country. Let us all work together to build a prosperous, and strong country and a better future through mutual acceptance, tolerance, coexistence, unity and solidarity.

We salute the memory of the March 11, 1970 Agreement.

Tributes to the souls of our martyrs.

Nechirvan Barzani
The President of the Kurdistan Region