Politics

Erbil-Baghdad talks paused due to protests: KRG official

A senior Kurdish official on Tuesday said talks between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq had struck a pause due to Baghdad’s shift in focus to address recent violent protests in the country’s central and southern provinces.

Kurdistan 24 2019/10/22 19:39

middle east Iraq Baghdad Erbil Erbil Baghdad Relations

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A senior Kurdish official on Tuesday said talks between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq had struck a pause due to Baghdad’s shift in focus to address recent violent protests in the country’s central and southern provinces.

Ties between Erbil and Baghdad significantly deteriorated following the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum from September 2017 and remained fractured for months.

Relations eventually began to improve, most noticeably after the formation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi's new Iraqi federal government in late 2018.

Efforts to improve ties and reach an understanding over outstanding disputes are ongoing, with Iraq’s Oil Minister, Thamir Ghadban, recently stating that the issues were “solvable.”

“Progress in talks between Erbil and Baghdad has been positive and we have reached a stage that could yield significant results," head of the Kurdistan Region’s Department of Foreign Relations, Safeen Dizayee, told reporters on Tuesday. But, he added, the central government’s top priority has recently changed to the nationwide demonstrations as they erupted in early October.

A wave of violent, nationwide protests began earlier this month. The demonstrations have reportedly led to the deaths of at least 140 people and thousands more injured. Security forces cracked down on protesters, with many accusing them of using excessive force and gunfire to prevent the protests from spreading.

Activists have told Kurdistan 24 that another major demonstration is planned for Baghdad and other cities this Friday, potentially further delaying a continuation of talks.

Dizayee lamented that Baghdad “could not focus on multiple files at the same time.”

He reaffirmed the support of the KRG to the government of Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi, noting Erbil’s readiness to resume discussions with Baghdad “to reach an appropriate outcome that is in the interests of the whole of Iraq and, of course, the Kurdistan Region as well.”

Editing by Nadia Riva