🇮🇶 IRAQ: KURDISH DISPUTED TERRITORIES, ARTICLE 140 & THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BAGHDAD AND ERBIL
November 1, 2026
📰 WHAT IS FAHMI BURHAN SAYING?
Fahmi Burhan, head of the General Authority for Kurdish Areas Outside the Kurdistan Region Administration, made several statements on November 1, 2026, emphasizing the importance of resolving the disputed territories issue through the Iraqi Constitution.
1. Kurdish regions are a national priority
Burhan identified five territories as fundamental to the Kurdish people's national and historical identity:
Kirkuk
Khanaqin
Sinjar
Makhmur
Nineveh Plains
He stated that the issue of these territories goes beyond political parties and parliamentary representation, describing it as a national and historical right.
2. Article 140 is the foundation for resolving disputes
Burhan emphasized that there is no alternative to the Iraqi Constitution and that Article 140 provides the legal and constitutional framework for resolving disputes over these territories.
Article 140 establishes a process that includes normalization, a census, and a referendum to determine the status of the disputed areas.
He also stressed that security agreements between Baghdad and Erbil cannot replace the implementation of this constitutional article.
3. He calls for joint administration between Baghdad and Erbil
Burhan proposed:
Establishing joint administration between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government.
Reactivating joint security operations rooms from Khanaqin to Sinjar.
Preventing Baghdad from making unilateral decisions concerning these territories.
4. Concerns about demographic changes in Kirkuk
Burhan warned about demographic changes in the disputed territories since 2003, arguing that they have affected the ethnic balance between Kurdish and Turkmen communities.
He also criticized the failure to issue the necessary implementing regulations for legislation addressing agricultural land disputes.
🔎 WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT FOR IRAQ?
This development highlights three important issues:
Political stability: Baghdad and Erbil must address their disagreements over disputed territories.
National security: Cooperation between federal and Kurdish security forces remains an important part of the proposed arrangements.
Institutional unity: Constitutional implementation and agreements between both governments are central to Iraq's federal relationship.
💵 WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH MONETARY REFORM AND THE IRAQI DINAR?
This report does not announce an exchange-rate adjustment, a dinar revaluation, or any new decision by the Central Bank of Iraq.
However, Iraq's political and territorial stability is relevant to its broader economic environment. Relations between Baghdad and Erbil also affect important economic matters, including the federal budget, oil revenues, public-sector salaries, and the distribution of national resources.
MY OBSERVATION: Burhan is emphasizing that Iraq's institutional stability also depends on resolving its constitutional and territorial disputes. This is an important political development to monitor alongside Iraq's economic and monetary reforms.
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