Germany warns Iraq over extension of flight ban on Kurdistan's airports

"Stability in [Iraq] depends on the resolution of internal conflicts,” the German Embassy in Baghdad warned.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The German Embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday warned the Iraqi government over the extension of an international flight ban on airports in the Kurdistan Region.

In an official statement, the German Embassy expressed its concern over Iraq’s decision to extend the international flight ban on Kurdistan’s airports, stating they hoped both Erbil and Baghdad could reach “concrete solutions.”

“We regret the decision [by Baghdad] to prolong the suspension of international flights to the airports in the [Kurdistan Region] very much,” the statement said.

Germany urges the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to “find concrete solutions to their differences on the basis of the Iraqi Constitution without further delay,” it added.

The German Embassy also warned that “stability in [Iraq] depends on the resolution of internal conflicts.”

On Monday, the Federal Government of Iraq extended the international flight ban on the Kurdistan Region’s airports until May 31.

Baghdad imposed the flight embargo on both the Erbil and Sulaimani airports on Sep. 29, 2017, days after the historic Kurdish independence referendum, which saw an overwhelming majority favoring statehood.

The sanction has greatly affected the semi-autonomous region’s economy, forcing many foreign and local companies to close their offices and operations, with hundreds losing their jobs.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany