Security chief welcomes British support for reform as gov. formation talks near

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC), Masrour Barzani, on Wednesday welcomed British support for reform in the region as winning factions in the recent regional parliamentary elections are set to begin consultations to form a new government.

In his office in Erbil, Barzani received British Ambassador to Baghdad, Jon Wilks, and discussed “among other things, political developments in Iraq,” according to a statement the KRSC released, adding that both sides “had a candid exchange about the importance of stability in the Kurdistan Region.”

Barzani had told Wilks that he “expected negotiations for a new KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government] cabinet to begin once the Independent Electoral Commission announces the final results.”

The results of the Sep. 30 election are expected to be announced later on Thursday. Early unofficial results point to a decisive victory by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), with an approximate twenty seat lead over the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in second place, which in turn has a nine seat lead over the opposition group, Change (Gorran) Movement.

Incumbent Prime Minister of the KRG, Nechirvan Barzani, has previously stated that brighter days are ahead as the region recovers from the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and an economic crisis.

The people of Kurdistan Region continue to call for reform and improved services, an endeavor Erbil seems to be pushing for with ambitious programs, among which is the ‘Services’ project aiming to lower bureaucratic and paperwork wait times by turning it into an online process.

Britain has previously advised the regional government on reforms in many areas as part of an agreement reached between the two sides in the midst of the war against IS.

Amid steps toward recovery, Barzani “welcomed UK support for economic, security and judiciary reforms,” the KRCS statement highlighted.

“During the meeting, they also discussed ISIL (IS) threats in disputed territories, regional tensions, and relations with neighbors,” the statement concluded.

Editing on Nadia Riva