Sudani seeks warmer ties with KRG, starting with budget talks
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (right) meets with KRG President Nechirvan Barzani on Nov. 27, 2022 in Baghdad. (Photo credit: KRG Presidency)
BAGHDAD/ERBIL - Leaders from Iraq’s federal government and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have started technical talks over oil and revenue issues, attempting to lay the foundation for political negotiations to address disputes that have divided the country for more than a decade.
Delegations have held two sets of meetings in Baghdad so far. According to officials on both sides, they are initially focused on performing a basic accounting exercise to help inform the drafting of the 2023 national budget: cataloguing the Kurdistan region’s financial needs and independent sources of income.
