SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Deputy of the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, and the German consul general, Klaus Streicher, on Thursday stressed the importance of holding a free and fair election.
Talabani and the German diplomat met in the Kurdistan Region capital, Erbil, where he discussed the internal political situation of the Kurdistan Region, said the deputy premier’s office in a statement.
In the meeting, Talabani pointed out that the disagreements must be resolved to strengthen the Kurdistan Region’s position before the challenges, the office said in the statement.
Discussions also touched upon the relations between Erbil and Baghdad in which the deputy prime minister said that “Our first and last option is a comprehensive and lasting agreement which is in the interest of the people of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” he said, according to the statement.
Moreover, the pair discussed the reform process within the Peshmerga forces.
“The political disputes should not be allowed to affect the reform steps,” said the deputy prime minister.
Regarding the election issue of the Kurdistan Region, the deputy prime minister added that “The election should not be further delayed,” stressing the importance of addressing the issues before the process to hold a free and fair election “to restore the people’s faith in the election.”
