ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A British cabinet minister on Saturday said that his government is ready to facilitate cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad and emphasized the need for unity within the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
“What is needed, really, is to ensure that unity within the KRG and again, strengthening the relationship between the devolved administration and the government in Baghdad as well,” Britain's Minister of State for the Middle East Lord Tariq Ahmad told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Ahmad added that he has good relations with officials from both the Iraqi government and the KRG, including both prime ministers - Iraq’s Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and the KRG’s Masrour Barzani.
“I assure you, as a friend to both the KRG and Iraq, we stand very ready to facilitate and strengthen that cooperation between [both governments],” he said.
Baghdad and Erbil are in a dispute over finances with each accusing the other of not fulfilling their obligations under the budget law. The KRG has not been able to pay its civil servants for several months as its financial situation has worsened, partly due to Turkey halting the flow of Kurdistan Region’s oil to international markets through its Ceyhan port.
Iraq’s Council of Ministers on Sunday agreed to loan a total of 2.1 trillion Iraqi dinars to the Kurdistan Region to cover civil servant salaries for a period of three months. The agreement was reached after Barzani visited Baghdad last month to meet senior Iraqi officials and campaign for the Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements.
The 78th annual UN General Assembly continues through this week. The theme of this year’s summit is “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.” It is attended by hundreds of world leaders and delegates.
