SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Co-leaders Bafel Talabani and Lahur Sheikh Jangi met with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller in Sulaimani city on Tuesday.
The PUK co-leaders discussed with Tueller the latest political, security and economic developments and changes in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, according to a statement released by Talabani’s office.
They also discussed the danger posed by Islamic State (ISIS) remnants on the security and stability of the region as well as early parliamentary elections scheduled for October 10 and U.S.-Iraq strategic dialogue, the statement said.
Talabani and Sheikh Jangi explained the PUK’s views and decisions regarding the issues to the U.S. ambassador during the meeting, and they also discussed the approval of Iraq’s federal budget law for 2021 and the Region’s share.
“The budget should be used to improve the economy and improve the livelihoods of our citizens,” the PUK co-leaders.
They considered “this step as an important beginning for building trust between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq,” Bafel’s office said.
The Iraqi Council of Representatives approved the federal budget of 130 trillion Iraqi dinars ($89.65 billion) as the country wrestles with an economic and financial crisis due to low crude prices.
After months of wrangling, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the central government reached an agreement on thorny issues, including oil and non-oil revenues.
Under the 2021 budget law, the Kurdistan Region will be committed to produce 460,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd).
After deducting expenses for production operations in the Region, transport of oil and the domestic consumption of crude oil, the KRG must hand over to Baghdad revenues generated from regional oil exports of 250,000 bpd, according to Iraq’s SOMO pricing, as well as 50 percent of non-oil revenue.
The Kurdistan Region, in return, will receive its share of the budget, which is set at 13.9%.
Regarding early elections in Iraq, Talabani and Sheikh Jangi reaffirmed the PUK’s “desire to hold early parliamentary elections on time and for it to be a fair election under the supervision of international observers, and away from interference that would express the will of any party,” the statement read.
They considered that step as “an important political, security, and economic factor for social stability,” according to the statement.
They also called for “greater coordination” between Iraqi and Kurdish forces along with the U.S.-led Coalition forces to fight ISIS remnants and to bring more tranquility to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 but the militants have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range which extends into the northern provinces – an area described by officials as a “triangle of death”.
