Iraq
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani (left) shakes hands with Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani in Baghdad on April 27, 2024. Photo: Office of the President
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Saturday visited Baghdad for meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and the ruling State Administration Coalition. This is his second trip to the Iraqi capital this month and comes on the heels of Sudani’s trip to Washington and a drone strike on key oil and gas infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region.
“Both sides stressed the importance of continuing constructive dialogue relating to the shared issues between the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Region,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency that did not go into detail about the topics discussed during Barzani’s meeting with Sudani.
The two “highlighted the recent political developments of the country and emphasized the importance of continued support for the [federal] government’s efforts internally and externally,” the statement continued.
Sudani said he “considered the visits of the President of the Region a positive step to resolve all common issues,” according to a statement from his office.
A day before Barzani traveled to Baghdad, a drone attack on Sulaimani’s Khor Mor gas field killed four Yemen nationals working at the site and knocked some two-thirds of Kurdistan Region’s electricity generation offline. Barzani, in a statement, said it is the federal government’s duty to prevent these attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The visit of the Kurdish president also comes about a week after Sudani returned from his trip to the US that included a meeting with President Joe Biden. Before Sudani left, President Barzani traveled to Baghdad to meet with him and attend a meeting of the Shiite-led governing coalition. Kurdistan Region’s salary issues and resuming oil exports were also discussed.
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court in February ordered the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to submit a breakdown of the monthly budget for its payroll to the finance ministry so Baghdad can start paying the Region’s share from the federal budget.
In a press conference following his meeting with President Barzani in early April, Sudani said that Baghdad is keen to continue financing the Kurdistan Region’s payroll in a way that does not contradict the ruling of the Federal Supreme Court, and urged cooperation and flexibility from Erbil.
Kurdish oil exports have been halted for over a year after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad that Ankara had breached a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin independent oil exports in 2014.
Despite several talks between Kurdish, Iraqi, and Turkish officials, the exports have yet to resume and many international oil companies have suspended production. Over 11 billion dollars in revenue have been lost.
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