KRG welcomes Iraqi PM’s call for negotiations to resolve disputes

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Thursday welcomed Baghdad’s call for dialogue and asked the international community to mediate negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad.

The KRG's Council of Ministers held an end-of-week meeting in Erbil and discussed the latest developments in the region, notably the current situation in Kirkuk and other areas which saw tensions and clashes flare up in the past few days.

The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, and Deputy Premier Qubad Talabani were also present.

Recently, Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, claimed the Kurdistan Region’s referendum was 'a thing of the past,' and called for dialogue with the KRG to address unresolved matters within the 'framework of the Iraqi Constitution.'

“The Council of Ministers welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's call for negotiations to address the issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraqi Federal Government, within the framework of the federal constitution, and based on partnership and consensus,” according to the KRG's press office.

The Council also called on the international community to assist Erbil and Baghdad to initiate and conduct the talks, reaffirming the KRG has always been ready for dialogue with the Federal Government of Iraq.

“History has proven that military actions will not shake the will of the people of Kurdistan [Region] and that Iraq's problems cannot be solved militarily,” the statement added.

The Ministers also called on the federal authorities to assist the people of Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu who have been displaced due to the recent violence in the area.

Tensions have dramatically increased between Erbil and Baghdad since the Sep. 25 referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region in which the central government of Iraq deemed it 'unconstitutional.'

On Oct. 16, the Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia and Iraqi Forces assailed the city of Kirkuk and took over areas which had been protected by the Kurdish Peshmerga Forces since the rise of the Islamic State (IS) in mid-2014.

Editing by G.H. Renaud