Erbil-Baghdad relations, May elections discussed between Iraqi Parliament Speaker, Masoud Barzani
The political process in Iraq and the current developments in the region led the talks between former Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri in Erbil on Sunday.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The political process in Iraq and the current developments in the region led the talks between former Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri in Erbil on Sunday.
The two sides discussed the developments of the Iraqi political process and the Iraqi legislative elections to be held on May 12.
Jabouri arrived in Kurdistan earlier in the day and met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to express his condolences following the death of his twin brother, Dilovan Barzani, last week.
The two officials also 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.
Following the meeting with Barzani, Jabouri told Kurdistan 24 that the talks were related to the current situation that “affects and connects us all.”
“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,” he 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 Kurdistan Region’s Sep. 25 independence referendum, which saw a majority of voters favoring statehood.
Baghdad responded by imposing a set of punitive measures on Kurdistan including an international flight ban and the use of military force to regain control of disputed territories.
Over the past few months, delegations from both sides have held meetings, including KRG Prime Minister Barzani and his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi. Although diplomatic relations have warmed, they are still far from addressing deep-rooted issues.
(Additional reporting by Sangar Ali)
