Lavrov: Russia to maintain economic ties with Kurds, urges Erbil-Baghdad dialogue

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Moscow respects the desire of the Kurdistan Region in seeking to assert its identity, but the region should conduct a dialogue with the Federal Government of Iraq, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

Lavrov met with an Iraqi delegation led by the Foreign Minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in Moscow to discuss bilateral relations and Russia’s ties with the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.

The Russian Minister said Moscow would maintain its economic relations with the Kurdistan Region, as it does with other constituent parts of Iraq.

He also mentioned Russia was not closing its consulate in the capital of the Kurdistan Region, but that the mission was nevertheless subordinate to the Russian Embassy in Baghdad.

Ties between Erbil and Baghdad have considerably deteriorated following the Sep. 25 vote on independence for the Kurdistan Region. The Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi and Iraqi forces on Oct. 16 took control of the city of Kirkuk, which had been under the protection of the Kurdish Peshmerga Forces since mid-2014.

During the meeting, Lavrov said Russia was committed to the territorial integrity of Iraq and called on Erbil and Baghdad to engage in dialogue to resolve their differences.

On Sunday, people gathered in front of the Russian Consulate General in Erbil calling for peace and asked Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government for help against the Hashd al-Shaabi militia and Iraqi forces' aggressions in Kirkuk and other disputed areas.

Editing by G.H. Renaud