PM Masrour Barzani ‘welcomes’ UK support for Erbil-Baghdad talks
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In a phone call with a top UK diplomat for MENA Affairs, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani welcomed the British support for the reaching of a final settlement between the regional and federal governments on their outstanding issues.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani held a phone call with James Cleverly, British Minister for Middle East and North Africa in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, on Wednesday morning, in which ongoing talks between Erbil and Baghdad were discussed as well as UK-Kurdistan Region ties.
“I welcome the UK’s support in the process of reaching a final settlement with the federal government,” Prime Minister Barzani tweeted following his phone call with the British minister.
Any agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi government “must be based on mutual respect,” and “fully in line with the [Iraqi] constitution,” Barzani noted.
It was a pleasure speaking to @JamesCleverly today. Kurdistan-UK ties are as important as ever.
— Masrour Barzani پابەندین# (@masrour_barzani) September 23, 2020
I welcome the UK’s support in the process of reaching a final settlement with the federal government, which must be based on mutual respect and fully in line with the constitution. https://t.co/Aw1Thr6idu
Currently, the regional and federal governments are in talks on the lingering issues between them, including the Kurdistan Region’s share of the federal budget, oil, border management, and disputed territories between the two governments.
A strong relationship between the KRG and Iraqi federal government is “crucial” for the “lasting stability” in the region, Minister Cleverly said in his call with Barzani.
To this end, Cleverly and Barzani “agreed to continue working closely,” the British minister tweeted.
A strong relationship between the Government of Iraq & the Kurdistan Regional Government is crucial to ensure lasting stability in the region.
— James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) September 23, 2020
Just spoke with PM for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq @masrour_barzani and agreed to continue working closely to achieve that goal.
On the phone, the Kurdish prime minister touted the Kurdistan Region’s ties with the UK.
“Kurdistan-UK ties are as important as ever,” Barzani said in the tweet after the call.
Previously, the UK Consul General to Kurdistan Region’s Erbil James Thornton announced that his country wants to see a settlement between two governments on “all outstanding issues,” following a tweet by Prime Minister Barzani, in which he expressed that he is “optimistic” about reaching a deal with the federal government.
Read More: Kurdistan PM 'optimistic' that agreement on disputes with Baghdad can be reached
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany