Kurdistan PM, top Iraqi politician affirm constitution path to resolving disputes

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq's 2021 federal budget and the Kurdistan Region's share of it led discussions on Sunday between the Kurdish Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, and influential Iraqi politician Ammar al-Hakim.

The prime minister met Hakim, who is the head of the National Wisdom Movement and Iraqi Alliance, in Erbil, a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) statement said.

The top politician is among the leading backers of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who came into power in May 2020, succeeding Adil Abdul Mahdi, who resigned in face of growing criticism, and amid a series of tough challenges facing the country.

"Prime Minister Barzani emphasized that the region has always been in favor of resolving issues with the federal government while leaning on the constitution to ensure the rights and entitlements of the Kurdistan Region are respected," the KRG statement noted.

Barzani also highlighted to his guest "the importance of protecting federalism and the principles of fairness, cooperation, and compromise."

2021 Federal Budget

From his end, Hakim "reaffirmed they consider the Kurdistan Region a friend and ally and reiterated the constitution should serve as the basis through which political disagreements should be resolved."

"He also stated they support the proposed agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Federal Government of Iraq regarding the 2021 draft budget bill, expressing hope the Iraqi Council of Representatives will vote for it."

Related Article: "The 2021 budget has been politicized, and any parliamentary amendment to it violates the constitution."

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.

Both governments have engaged in rounds of negotiations and talks to settle their differences and reach a deal on all the lingering issues between them. Recently, the KRG’s Deputy Prime Minister announced that a deal was reached on Iraq’s 2021 budget law.

Unprecedented 'Transparency'

A top member of the KRG negotiating team, Abdul Hakim Khosraw, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday that Erbil-Baghdad negotiations have witnessed "unprecedented levels of transparency."

Khosraw explained that the KRG has agreed to the current proposed budget bill even though it "did not meet our demands," because of the multitude of crises Iraq is facing.

"This is the first time that such negotiations are conducted with transparency," he said.

Editing by Khrush Najari