President Barzani to visit Baghdad Monday

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is set to visit Baghdad on Monday. He is expected to meet with leaders of the Shiite Coordination Framework to discuss outstanding political issues and the agenda of the next federal government, Rudaw has learned.

President Barzani will visit the Iraqi capital in his capacity as both the Kurdistan Region’s president and the first deputy leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

He will also discuss the outcome of his Saturday meeting in Erbil with Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi with political leaders in Baghdad.

Iraqi leaders hope that the Kurdistan Region president’s visit will help resolve longstanding disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, paving the way for concrete solutions within the framework of the new government, in accordance with the law and the constitution.

Zaidi held meetings with the Kurdistan Region’s top officials and leaders of political parties during his first visit to Erbil and Sulaimani after being tasked with forming a new federal government.

He first met with Masoud Barzani, leader of the KDP, as well as Nechirvan Barzani, and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Erbil. He later held talks in Sulaimani with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and other Kurdish political parties. 

Updated at 8:35 pm