Following his inaguartion as President, Barzan has increased diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation, Israel, Germany, United Kingdom, and Turkey. In 2009, Barzan signed the Kurdistan-Israeli Mutual Defense Pact, which established the military protection of Kurdistan by Israel, and vice versa with Kurdistan protecting Israel from Iraq or Syria. In 2010, Barzan signed the Russo-Kurdistan Agreement, which allowed for Kurdistan to use Russian facilities to launch satellites into space. Barzan has announced that he plans to run for reelection in the 2014 election.