Kurdish Minister for Transport Mawlood Bawa Murad attends a session of the Kurdistan Parliament on September 30, 2017 as the Kurdish government discusses a set of measures imposed by the Iraqi parliament against the Kurdistan Region, including a ban on Kurdistan’s land and air borders with the outside world. Photo: Rudaw TV
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdish parliament is in session to discuss a set of tough measures imposed by the Iraqi government on Erbil as a result of Kurdistan’s independence referendum. It is expected that the parliament will reject all bills and actions passed by the Iraqi government and parliament earlier this week.
The Kurdish parliament backed the Kurdish independence referendum on September 15, which was then held on Monday Sep. 25 that saw an overwhelming majority of 92 percent vote for independence.
The Kurdish government has already rejected the Iraqi measures, including a demand to hand over international land and air entry points to the Iraqi authorities.
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A controversial decision to suspend international flights to and from the Kurdistan Region took effect on Friday when Iraq shut the Kurdish airspace as a measure against the referendum that it said was “unconstitutional, “ and “unilateral.”
Kurdistan Region's Minister of Transportation Mawlood Bawa Murad is attending today's parliamentary session.
The Iraqi government has said that closing Kurdistan’s borders is not meant to punish the Kurdish people.
It said that Iraq is prepared to lift the flight ban if the Kurdish authorities agree to hand over control of the airports to Baghdad, like other province in Iraq.
Under the Iraqi constitution, the Kurdistan Region is a recognized federal entity with its own parliament and government. Laws passed by the Iraqi government should first be approved by the Kurdish parliament before they can come into effect.
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