Al-Siyada Alliance Welcomes Barzani’s Baghdad Visit, Calls It Key to Resolving Outstanding Issues

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iraq’s Al-Siyada Alliance on Monday welcomed Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s visit to Baghdad, describing it as an essential step toward resolving longstanding disputes between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), while reaffirming its solidarity with the Region amid recent attacks.

Salah al-Kubaisi, a senior member of the Al-Siyada Alliance, told Kurdistan24 that the Kurdistan Region and the federal government share a common national destiny, making continued dialogue and communication essential to addressing problems that have remained unresolved for years.

“Iraq is one country, and citizens of the Kurdistan Region enjoy the same rights and bear the same obligations as any other Iraqi citizen,” al-Kubaisi said, adding that dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad serves Iraq’s broader interests and can help overcome outstanding disputes.

He said the alliance had consistently called for sustained engagement between the two sides, stressing that communication was necessary to reach solutions to the accumulated political, administrative, and financial issues.

Al-Kubaisi also expressed the alliance’s full solidarity with the Kurdistan Region in the face of recent challenges, condemning attacks against the Region and emphasizing that its security is inseparable from that of Iraq as a whole.

“Our position supports the Kurdistan Regional Government. The Region is an integral part of Iraq, and any attack against it is an attack against all Iraqis,” he said.

The Al-Siyada representative expressed hope that Barzani’s visit would produce tangible outcomes, particularly on longstanding files involving oil and gas, border crossings, disputed territories, and the salaries of Kurdistan Region public employees.

Resolving the salary issue, he said, is essential to ensuring the rights of the Region’s employees and addressing one of the most persistent sources of tension between Erbil and Baghdad.

Al-Kubaisi also underscored the alliance’s strategic and close relations with the Kurdistan Region, particularly with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), expressing hope that these ties would contribute to broader national stability and help resolve the country’s outstanding crises.

Barzani is visiting Baghdad for a series of meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi and leaders of political parties, alliances, and other political figures.

The discussions are expected to focus on the Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements, the draft federal budget, and mechanisms for resolving outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad based on the Constitution and previous agreements.

Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali Faleh al-Zaidi on Sunday ordered the formation of a joint investigative committee with relevant authorities in the Kurdistan Region to determine the circumstances surrounding an attack on the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani province late Sunday, which caused extensive material damage and brought gas production to a halt.

The attack struck the gas field's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production unit in the Qadir Karam subdistrict of Chamchamal, triggering a massive fire and causing significant damage to the facility.

Kurdistan24 correspondent Harem Jaff reported that the affected section, known as the Old Field, is responsible for daily LPG production and had not previously been targeted.

According to Jaff, an emergency alarm sounded before the impact, allowing employees to evacuate to designated safe areas and shelters. No casualties were reported among employees or security personnel.

The attack also forced a complete halt to gas production at the facility. Firefighting teams were working to contain the blaze, while the origin and direction of the attack had not yet been officially disclosed by security authorities.