KRG delegation to meet Iraqi counterparts on outstanding issues

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A high Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is set to visit Baghdad on Sunday to meet with their counterparts to discuss the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad, according to a government spokesperson.

The delegation has been dispatched at the recommendation of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to “secure the rights of Kurdistan Region people,” Jotiar Adil, the KRG spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday.

He did not elaborate further on the members of the delegation that is planned to discuss the outstanding issues with the Iraqi federal government, including energy, budget, disputed territories, and the Peshmerga forces.

The visit comes as Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Baghdad earlier on Sunday to continue his meetings with the country’s top officials. This is the second visit of the top Kurdish official to the Iraqi capital following the formation of the new government in October.

Read More: Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani to visit Baghdad again

Prime Minister Barzani has previously announced that his government is willing to solve any issues with Baghdad on the basis of the constitution and the agreement signed between the political parties to form the new government.

Among the Kurdish share in the federal budget, the two governments also disagree on a number of other subjects, including the shared management of oil and gas, the disputed territories as well as the compensation of Kurdish victims of the former Iraqi regime’s atrocities.

The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court’s ruling against the Kurdish oil and gas industry in February further escalated the tension between the two governments. The Region has strongly rejected the verdict, describing it as politically motivated.