Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker highlights Kurdistan’s role in Iraq’s stability in meeting with Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Salim al-Jabouri on Sunday arrived in Erbil and met with the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani to express his condolences to Barzani in person and discussed the latest developments between the two governments.

On his visit, Jabouri extended his condolences and best wishes to Barzani’s family following the sudden death of the Kurdish Premier’s twin brother, Dilovan Idris Barzani, last week.

The two officials discussed the current political climate in the country and the upcoming parliamentary elections, as well as other topics related to issues between Erbil and Baghdad, according to Prime Minister Barzani’s press office. 

The Iraqi official was first received by the Kurdistan Region Presidency’s Chief of Staff, Fuad Hussein, and the Kurdistan Region’s deputy Parliamentary Speaker, Jaafar Imniki.

“The Iraqi Parliament was a party to the collective punitive measures carried out against the Kurdistan Region,” Imniki told Kurdistan 24 before the arrival of al-Jabouri at the Erbil airport.

Baghdad, in response to the Sep. 25 referendum on independence in the Kurdistan Region, imposed a series of sanctions on the region, including the closure of Kurdistan’s two airports.

“The measures were very unfair, and unfortunately carried out by the people whom we viewed as partners in this country,” he added.

He mentioned that getting Baghdad to lift all sanctions on the Kurdistan Region would be one of the topics of discussion with al-Jabouri.

“We have previously officially requested, by way of a written letter, they remove sanctions on the Kurdistan Region,” Imniki continued. “We will for sure discuss the matter and remind him of our request.”

Following the meeting with Barzani, al-Jabouri, however, stressed that his visit was to express his condolences to Barzani over the death of his brother.

The talks were related to the current situation that “affects and connects us all,” Jabouri told Kurdistan 24.

“We are holding elections soon. We believe the Kurdistan Region's people and presidency play a significant role in bringing stability to Iraq, rebuilding democracy in the country, and resolving outstanding issues,” Jabouri continued.

“If there have been issues in the past, we can resolve them through dialogue. Dialogue is the only way to address these problems.”

Ties between Erbil and Baghdad considerably deteriorated following the Sep. 25 referendum in the Kurdistan Region, which saw a majority of voters favoring statehood.

Over the past few months, delegations from both sides have held meetings, including the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Diplomatic relations have warmed, but are still far from addressing deep-rooted issues.

Editing by Nadia Riva