SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Co-leaders Bafel Talabani and Lahur Sheikh Jangi stressed on the importance of dialogue and consensus to resolve issues between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad.
The PUK co-leaders met with U.S. Consul-General Rob Waller in Sulaimani city on Tuesday, according to a statement released by Talabani’s office.
The two sides discussed the latest political, economic and security developments in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as well as Iraq’s early parliamentary elections, postponed by the Council of Ministers to October 10.
The PUK co-leaders stressed on the need for swift resolution to issues between the Region and Baghdad in an attempt to provide a better life for citizens and to protect the security of the region, the statement read.
Kurdistan Region’s Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani who led a high-level delegation to Baghdad said in December that Erbil and Baghdad had reached an agreement over the 2021 federal budget bill, approved by the Iraqi Council of Ministers in the same month.
The draft budget law commits the Kurdistan Region to export 250,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) through Baghdad in exchange for the Region’s share of the federal budget, which is set at 12.67%.
The PUK co-leaders also called on the United States to play a role in helping end the suspended issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government on the basis of Iraqi constitution, according to Talabani’s office.
The U.S. consul-general, for his part, reiterated his country’s support and assistance to the parties to find a solution to their issues and to help Erbil and Baghdad reach an agreement, the statement said.
The PUK co-leaders also stressed on the implementation of the decentralization system in the framework of an agreement with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to form the government, Talabani’s office said.
“They also considered it as an important point to strengthen the government, to further protect the entity of the Kurdistan Region, to further serve people, and to provide more and better services in the Region’s provinces,” the statement read.
