President Barzani meets with top Iraqi officials in Baghdad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Monday held a series of meetings with Iraq’s top leaders in Baghdad to discuss a range of issues, including unresolved issues between the federal and regional governments.

President Barzani arrived in Baghdad on Sunday to take part in a regular meeting of the ruling State Administration Coalition alongside top Iraqi politicians. On Monday, he held a number of meetings with Iraqi leaders.

The Kurdish leader first met with the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.

“The two sides stressed the importance of solidarity and joint cooperation between all political forces and parties in order to confront challenges and remove difficulties in the country, in a way that achieves the interests of all our Iraqi people and enhances the goal of establishing security, stability and national sovereignty,” said Sudani’s office in a statement.

They also touched on the latest developments in the country and the region and "the need to support the federal government and ensure the successful implementation of its government program was addressed in a way that ensures meeting the aspirations of citizens across the country."

Then he was received by Jassim al-Umairi, head of Iraq's Supreme Federal Court.

“The meeting was about the significance of the Federal Court's role in addressing the unresolved matters between Erbil and Baghdad. It outlined the need to adhere to the Iraqi constitution,” read a statement from Barzani’s office.

President Barzani later met Muthanna al-Samarrai, head of the Azm Alliance.

Barzani also met with former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi where they discussed cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad.

In his meeting with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Barzani “stressed the importance of the role of the parliament in strengthening national dialogue and ensuring justice and equality for all communities of the Iraqi people and resolving the country's problems, especially the problems between Erbil and Baghdad,” according to the Kurdistan Region Presidency.

The visit takes place at a time when the ongoing disputes between Erbil and Baghdad over the Kurdish region's share in the federal budget remain unresolved.

“Nechirvan Barzani's presence is very important, and as I said and repeat, he is a key member of the state administration coalition,” Ali al-Defai, the spokesperson of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq told Rudaw on Sunday.

He added that Barzani’s participation in the coalition’s discussions provides a valuable opportunity to resolve pending problems, particularly those affecting the Kurdistan Region, such as budget disputes and strengthening Baghdad-Erbil ties.

 

Updated at 3:06 pm.