President Nechirvan Barzani to visit Baghdad

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is set to visit the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Tuesday to meet with the country’s top officials to discuss the outstanding issues between the regional and federal governments, according to a statement.

This is the first official visit of the Kurdish president to Baghdad following the inauguration of the new government in October. 

Barzani will meet with his counterpart Latif Rasheed, Prime Minister Mohammad Shia’ Al-Sudani as well as the head of the judiciary council, Fayaq Zeidan, a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency read.

The latest political developments as well as Erbil-Baghdad relations are on the agenda of the Kurdish and Iraqi officials in Tuesday’s meeting. They will also highlight the regional developments, per the statement.

The Iraqi president has recently visited Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province to take part in the third version of the Middle East Peace and Security Conference at the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in Duhok province.

The disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad as well as energy management are at the forefront of the outstanding issues between the two governments.

A top Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official has recently told Kurdistan 24 that a government official will visit Baghdad to begin negotiations on the issues with Iraq’s new government.

Al-Sudani’s government has previously announced that it would work to send an oil and gas bill to the parliament within six months. Erbil has previously called for the enactment of a hydrocarbon law, in the absence of which, the Kurdish authorities have argued the energy disputes between the governments had persisted.