ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani continued with high-level meetings on his second day in Baghdad, stressing the need for cooperation as he discussed outstanding issues between the federal and regional governments.
Dilshad Shahab, the spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region presidency, said the priorities for Barzani’s visit were budget issues and the Region’s financial entitlements. He described the trip as a “success.”
“There is nothing to threaten the civil servants’ salaries. The salary issue will be resolved and this assurance will be delivered to the salaried employees in the near future,” Shahab told reporters in the Iraqi capital.
President Barzani arrived Saturday on his second trip to Baghdad in a month. The visit comes against the backdrop of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s trip to Washington and a deadly drone strike on key oil and gas infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region.
In a meeting with Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, the two discussed the security threats facing Iraq and emphasized the need for cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil.
“Both sides stressed the importance of cooperation and coordination between the relevant parties of the Iraqi Federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] in the field of security and to combat security threats and agreed on the need for support of all parties to maintain peace and stability in the country,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency.
Erbil-Baghdad relations, the upcoming Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections, and appointment of a new speaker of the Iraqi parliament were the topics of discussion in President Barzani’s meeting with acting parliament speaker Muhsin al-Mandalawi.
“Both sides agreed on the significance of support and cooperation from all the political parties to ensure the rights and interests of all of Iraq’s components, and to maintain peace and stability in the country and carrying out the Kurdistan parliament elections with the participation of all parties,” said the presidency in a statement following the meeting.
The Kurdistan Region is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on June 10, after two years of delays. The current date could be jeopardized by the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) decision not to participate in protest over court rulings that the party deemed detrimental to the Region’s political entity, including the removal of minority quota seats.
The Iraqi parliament has been without a speaker since November, after the country’s top court ousted Mohammed al-Halbousi from the position. The legislature has attempted to vote for a new speaker on multiple occasions, but has been unsuccessful.
President Barzani also met with Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council Faiq Zidan. The two exchanged views on how to resolve outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad in accordance with the constitution.
“They highlighted the importance of greater cooperation and coordination between the judiciary in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and the need for relevant parties in the judicial field of the Kurdistan Region to take advantage of the opportunities and capabilities of the Iraqi judiciary,” said the presidency on the meeting with Zidan.
KRG officials have repeatedly questioned the constitutionality of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court following a series of controversial rulings.
In February 2022, the Federal Supreme Court ruled the KRG’s oil and gas law “unconstitutional,” to the dismay of the Kurdish government. The top court also ruled against the Kurdish parliament’s self-extension in May last year and declared that the term of the legislature had finished.
In February, the top court ruled that the 11 quota seats in the Kurdistan Region’s parliament reserved for ethnic and religious minorities were unconstitutional, effectively eliminating the seats.
Earlier in the day, Barzani met with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid for a discussion on various topics including promoting development and services, supporting the federal government’s agenda, and the ongoing dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad to resolve differences.
During their meeting, Barzani “reiterated the Kurdistan Region’s willingness to engage in dialogue and find mutually agreeable solutions with Baghdad,” and emphasized the importance of visits between Erbil and Baghdad.
President Barzani also met with veteran Iraqi politician Nouri al-Maliki, who said that the Kurdish president’s trip to Baghdad has left him feeling “optimistic” as the regional and federal governments tackle issues that have been sources of tensions for years.
“I am optimistic about this visit. The man carries with him the will for solutions and development of relations, and we will proceed from this visit to broader meetings,” Maliki told reporters, including Rudaw’s Halkawt Aziz, following his meeting with President Barzani.
A former prime minister, Maliki leads the State of Law Coalition, which is part of the ruling State Administration Coalition alongside Barzani’s KDP.
Meetings with the leader of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance Khamis al-Khanjar, head of the Azm Alliance Muthanna al-Samarrai, Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbassi, former Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, and former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi were also on Barzani’s agenda for Sunday.
On Saturday, Barzani met with Sudani and Halbousi separately, and also attended a meeting of the ruling State Administration Coalition.
Barzani’s return to Baghdad is about a week after Sudani completed his trip to the US that included a meeting with President Joe Biden. President Barzani had gone to the Iraqi capital to meet with Sudani ahead of his trip to the US and to attend a meeting of the Shiite-led governing coalition. Kurdistan Region’s salary issues were also discussed at that time, as was resuming Kurdish oil exports that have been halted for more than a year.
Baghdad assumed responsibility for the Kurdistan Region’s payroll following a court order and Erbil’s lack of funds.
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.
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