Iraqi PM says agreed on ‘roadmap’ with Erbil to resolve controversial issues

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he recently agreed on a “roadmap” with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to address the outstanding disputes between Erbil and Baghdad.

Abadi met with Barzani twice in a week last month, once in Baghdad and the second time on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

The meetings came three months after the Kurdistan Region’s Sep. 25 independence referendum which saw an overwhelming majority favor statehood.

“I agreed with Barzani and his deputy, Qubad Talabani, in Davos, on a roadmap, and we hope that it will be implemented properly,” Abadi said during an interview with the Egyptian newspaper al-Youm al-Sabaa published on Saturday.

He did not give details about the content of the agreement.

In retaliation to the independence vote, Baghdad carried out collective punitive measures against the Region, including an international flight ban at the two airports in Kurdistan and the use of military force to control most of the disputed territories.

The Iraqi Prime Minister accused “some” Kurdish officials of attempting to suspend the recent efforts made to resolve the Erbil-Baghdad issues, adding they insist on the establishment of a Kurdish state.

“But, we reject this completely, and I have a complete determination to solve this problem...and am keen to resolve and impose federal authority in the region in the framework of our commitment to the Constitution [of Iraq] and the law,” Abadi said.

Kurdish leaders have stated that the referendum was the result of ill treatment and a violation of their rights from successive Iraqi regimes since the establishment of the country in the 1920s.

Kurds repeatedly criticized Baghdad for violating 55 articles of the Iraqi Constitution as well as treating the people of the Kurdistan Region as second-class citizens.

“The Kurdish problem is part of the history, and we respect their [Kurdish] aspirations, and the Kurdish problem is the battle of all successive Iraqi governments,” Abadi stated.

Both Erbil and Baghdad have long-standing issues and disagreements, especially those related to energy, disputed territories, and the federal budget.

“We are working to solve these problems,” the Iraqi Prime Minister concluded.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany