Iraqi president, finance minister meet with senior Kurdistan Region officials
KRG Spokesperson Jutyar Adil described Tuesday’s meetings as “positive.”
“We will combine all our efforts to reach mutual solutions on the outstanding issues” between Erbil and Baghdad, Adil told Kurdistan 24.
“There are a lot of details to discuss for the 2020 budget bill draft, and we will continue to communicate until we further develop the shared vision between Erbil and Baghdad.”
Iraq’s Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halboosi is also set to arrive in the Kurdistan Region on Wednesday and meet with top KRG officials.
Minister of Planning Rashid told Kurdistan 24 that Halbousi’s meeting would aim to find a common understanding on the issue of oil between Erbil and Baghdad, noting that both sides want “to avoid the problems we faced with the 2019 budget bill.”
Oil revenues, the status of disputed territories, and the KRG’s share of the federal budget are some of the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad.
Ties between the two governments have notably improved since the beginning of 2019, with the formation of a new federal government headed by Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi. The governments had fallen out of favor in the aftermath of the Kurdistan Region’s historic independence referendum in September 2017.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany