Iraqi PM to Masoud Barzani: Kurdistan 'an integral and essential part of Iraq'

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), received Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in Erbil on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in Iraq and the region.

Al-Kadhimi arrived in Erbil on his first trip, planned for all four provinces of the Kurdistan Region since he took office in May.

During the meeting, both sides stressed on Iraq's need for fundamental reform needed to overcome the current crises Iraq is facing, according to a statement issued by the prime minister’s office.

Kadhimi pointed out that high-level coordination between Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga were a crucial element of the territorial victory over the Islamic State in late 2017, but that it was still needed to defeat the remnants of the extremist group that still pose a serious threat to national stability.

According to the statement, he also voiced “the importance of the integration of visions between the federal government and the regional government, emphasizing that the Kurdistan Region is an integral and essential part of Iraq, while stressing that dialogue and the constitution are the tent under which the future exists for a unified and stable Iraq.”

For his part, Barzani expressed his appreciation of the prime minister's effort to visit, underlining intentions from all sides to make reform and solve outstanding issues between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Earlier in the day, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with his federal counterpart, stressing the importance of arriving at a "fundamental" solutions to Baghdad-Erbil disputes.

Read More: PM Masrour Barzani calls for ‘fundamental’ solution for Erbil-Baghdad disputes

In his visit to Duhok, Prime Minister Kadhimi visited Ibrahim-Khalil international border crossing and Qadya camp for displaced Yezidis (Ezidis) in the province.

It is expected that he will meet Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil before heading to Sulaimani and from there to Halabja.

Editing by John J. Catherine