Politics

Iraqi PM, Kurdistan president meet in Erbil, stress need for security cooperation

After meeting in Erbil on Friday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi stressed the importance of security cooperation between the Iraqi military and Kurdish Peshmerga forces to successfully combat the continued threat of the Islamic State, according to a statement from Barzani's office.

Halgurd Sherwani 2020/09/11 11:59

kurdistan Kurdistan KRG Mustafa al-Kadhimi Masoud Barzani Masrour Barzani Nechirvan Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – After meeting in Erbil on Friday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi stressed the importance of security cooperation between the Iraqi military and Kurdish Peshmerga forces to successfully combat the continued threat of the Islamic State, according to a statement from Barzani's office.

President Nechirvan Barzani received Kadhimi on Friday morning in Erbil alongside a high-ranking delegation from Baghdad on the second day of their visit to the Kurdistan Region.

The Iraqi delegation included the foreign, defense, oil, and migration/displacement ministers, marking Kadhimi's first trip to Erbil since assuming office in early May. He replaced his predecessor, Adil Abdul Mahdi, who stepped down in the face of unprecedented pressure after months of a national protest movement that began in October.

In their discussion, Barzani and Kadhimi agreed that “security cooperation and coordination between Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Army” was essential to “providing stability, facilitating the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), and holding a successful election that reflects the people’s will.”

In previous years, Iraqi and Peshmerga forces both provided security across territories disputed by Baghdad and Erbil much more effectively than Iraqi forces and Iran-backed militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have proven to be capable of, ever since they attacked Peshmerga and pushed them from the areas as part of the federal government's hostile response to the Kurdistan Region's 2017 independence referendum.

Addressing other outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad, notably those relating to oil and budget, both leaders voiced support for ongoing negotiations “on the basis of constitution” to reach an agreement that would serve the entire country.

On Thursday, Kadhimi met with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, after which he said that Kurdistan is “an integral and essential part of Iraq.”

Before that, the Iraqi prime minister met with his regional counterpart, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who noted afterward that “budget and salaries are not the only issues between the federal and regional governments,” and called for a “fundamental solution to all Erbil-Baghdad disputes based on the Iraqi Constitution.”

Editing by John J. Catherine