Catalonian delegation visits Erbil, seeking better relations with Kurdistan Region

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A Catalonian delegation has met with Kurdish officials in Erbil, discussing bolstering bilateral relations and aspirations for independence on both sides.  

The delegation included Laura Perez Castano, the deputy mayor of Barcelona, Ruben Wagensberg, a member of the Catalonian parliament, and Eulalia Reguant, a peace activist and former MP.

They met with Erbil governor Omed Khoshnaw and the Kurdistan Parliament’s deputy speaker Hemin Hawrami on Sunday. 

“We both agreed that we have to boost our relations and cooperation,” Khoshnaw told Rudaw on Sunday, saying they also discussed the situation for displaced people in Erbil.  

Castano told Rudaw that their visit to Erbil was to “see what kinds of objectives they [Erbil authorities] are prioritising in the agenda of the city,” adding that they are thinking about common interests with Erbil to work on. 

Both Catalonia and the Kurdistan Region had independence referendums in the autumn of 2017.

The aftermath of both referendums was painful, with the Kurdistan Region losing more than half of its territory to Iraqi forces and Catalonians facing crackdowns and imprisonment from Spain. 

“I think the common will for independence is a consequence of a history that we both - Kurdistan and Catalonia - are facing. We are nations who are part of states that have different languages,” Reguant told Rudaw. “Catalonia and Kurdistan have common things. Somehow we are brothers.”

Wagensberg said Catalonia intends to have another referendum.  

The delegation is also expected to visit the Kurdish-held areas of northeast Syria (Rojava) to visit IDP and refugee camps.  

Zirek Zebari is the head of the foreign delegations for Kurdistan Regional Government's Department of Foreign Relations. He has been accompanying the foreign delegation. 

“The main purpose of their visit was to carry an official letter from the speaker of Catalonian parliament inviting the speaker of Kurdistan parliament, deputy speaker and other parliament staff to visit the Catalonian parliament,” he said. 

The Catalonian delegation also visited Rudaw Media Network’s headquarters in Erbil. 

Reporting by Hadi Salimi