KRG always fulfills its commitments ‘within constitution,’ PM Barzani tells British envoy

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region has always fulfilled all of its commitments “within the [Iraqi] constitutional framework,” Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Monday during a meeting with a top British envoy to Iraq.

Prime Minister Barzani’s remarks came during a meeting with a British diplomatic delegation, headed by UK Ambassador Stephen Hickey, along with Consul General James Thornton, in which the latest political developments in Iraq and the bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and Britain were discussed, according to a statement from Barzani’s office.

“The Kurdistan Region has always fulfilled its commitments within the framework of the [Iraqi] constitution,” Prime Minister Barzani said, adding that the KRG works toward reaching a deal with the federal government.

For his part, the British ambassador noted that his country is “willing to offer any kind of help so that the regional and federal government would reach a fair and long-term deal on the basis of the constitution,” according to the statement.

The relations between Erbil and Baghdad are shaped by various disputes, ranging from the Kurdistan Region’s share of the federal budget, land claims, compensation of Kurdish families and survivors of genocides, the financial entitlements of Kurdish farmers, and more.

In the meeting, the mechanism for a successful upcoming election in Iraq, the importance of implementing the Sinjar (Shingal) agreement and ousting the illegal militias and armed forces in the area, were discussed.

Thornton previously told Kurdistan 24 that “as a friend of the Kurdistan Region, we are very keen to see a fair deal between Erbil and Baghdad on the financial deal.”

Read More: UK seeks ‘fair deal’ between Erbil, Baghdad: diplomat

In November 2020, during a UN Security Council session on Iraq, James Roscoe, the UK acting Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, said his country is “encouraged by improvements in the relationship between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including the Sinjar Agreement.”

In early October, the Iraqi government and the KRG announced they had reached an agreement to restore and normalize the situation in the Shingal area, where competing armed groups are active.

The agreement, which is welcomed by the UN and local officials, includes understandings to withdraw all armed groups from the area, restore the local administration, and appoint a new mayor.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany