SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday met with diplomats and representatives of foreign countries in Erbil.
Barzani discussed with consul-generals and representatives of foreign countries the latest developments in the Kurdistan Region, KRG’s reform plan and relations between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government, according to a statement released by the premier’s office.
The premier said the KRG had fulfilled its commitment in order to reach an agreement with Baghdad, which will be in the interest of all Iraqis.
“The salary issue should be kept away from the political conflicts, and it should not be used as a pressure card against the Kurdistan Region,” Barzani added.
Relations between Baghdad and Erbil further deteriorated after the Iraqi Council of Ministers led by former caretaker prime minister Adil Abdul Mahdi ordered the finance ministry to halt sending salaries of civil servants to the Kurdistan Region in April 2020.
A document signed by the secretary-general of the Iraqi Council of Ministers stated that the KRG had not committed to an oil agreement reached between Baghdad and Erbil in 2019.
In November 2019, Erbil and Baghdad reached a deal to resolve their ongoing disagreement over oil, after Erbil agreed to export 250,000 barrels of oil per day through Baghdad to Turkey’s Ceyhan port in exchange for the Kurdistan Region’s share of the federal budget.
Tensions between Baghdad and Erbil have eased since prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office in May of the same year.
Barzani further said the Kurdistan Region is an “important factor for security and stability” in the region, hoping for “good relations” with neighboring countries and to strength ties with the international community.
