Iraq’s new Prime Minister says will solve Erbil-Baghdad disputes based on constitution

Iraq’s new Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, said he would work to address the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad according to the Iraqi Constitution.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s new Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, said he would work to address the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad according to the Iraqi Constitution.

The statement was made in the governmental work plan Kadhimi presented to the parliament, in a section highlighting a road map on addressing the Erbil-Baghdad disputes.

“The federal government will work in cooperation with the Kurdistan Regional Government to address outstanding issues and respect the agreements between both sides in accordance with the constitution, in order to achieve the best interests of the country and unify efforts in all areas,” a statement from the interim prime minister read.

In a late-night session that ran into the early hours of Thursday, the Iraqi parliament gave its vote of confidence to Kadhimi, making him the nation’s new prime minister.

Kadhimi’s parliamentary confidence comes at a time when the Kurdistan Region’s ties with Baghdad is experiencing challenges. However, the Kurdish blocs in Iraq’s house of representatives announced from the beginning their support for Kadhimi’s candidacy to form the government.

Several elements led to the differences between Erbil and Baghdad, the most prominent of which was the recent decision to cut the salaries stipulated by the federal government to employees of the Kurdistan Region, violating the agreements made in 2019 between the two sides, which also included clauses to re-disburse the Kurdistan Region’s 2018 budget share that it did not receive, and the payment of salaries to the region’s employees, including the Peshmerga forces.

Furthermore, the agreement included mechanisms to solve the issue of oil between both sides, in which the Kurdistan Region has to hand over 250,000 bpd to Baghdad through the state oil company SOMO, while Baghdad has to pay 12 percent of its federal budget to Erbil ($ 8.2 billion).

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany