'Very Positive': Iraqi Factions Hail Barzani's Baghdad Meetings
Senior figures from three major Iraqi factions say the Kurdistan Region prime minister's two-day trip to the capital has opened a new phase in federal coalition negotiations.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A two-day visit by Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to Baghdad has generated a wave of political optimism across Iraq's fractured parliamentary landscape, with senior lawmakers from multiple factions describing his meetings with key alliance leaders as a catalyst for realignment ahead of a long-delayed cabinet vote.
Speaking to Kurdistan24 on Sunday, Iyad Jbouri, a parliamentarian from the Azm Alliance, said Prime Minister Barzani's meeting with Azm leader Muthanna al-Samarrai had been highly constructive.
"After this visit, changes in the political equation will occur because discussions were held about a new alliance and restructuring the political process," Jbouri said.
He added that the Azm Alliance has a longstanding relationship with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and that Sunnis broadly regard Masoud Barzani as an elder brother.
Jbouri also confirmed that the meeting addressed the completion of the government cabinet, with a reaffirmation that parliament would convene after the holiday to vote on the remaining ministerial candidates.
Salah al-Kubaisi, a leader within the Siyada Alliance, echoed that assessment. Speaking to Kurdistan24, he described Barzani's meeting with Siyada chief Khamis al-Khanjar as equally positive.
"This will have good results because Masrour Barzani has demanded the rights of the people of Kurdistan, salaries, the budget, and the oil and gas law. These are legitimate demands, and the Iraqi government must grant them their rights," Kubaisi said, adding that the Siyada Alliance's relationship with the KDP is a strategic one.
He emphasized that the KDP must be a principal partner in Iraq and cannot be denied its entitlements.
Hussein Habib, a member of the Reconstruction and Development Alliance, told Kurdistan24 that the timing of the visit carried particular significance.
"Barzani's visit to Baghdad at this time was very important because we are now at the stage of completing the government cabinet," he said.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has been in Baghdad for second days now, holding a series of meetings with Iraqi leadership and political figures. Further meetings were scheduled for Sunday.