ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Erbil and Baghdad are ready to “open a new chapter” in their relations, and have discussed the possibility of forming a joint committee to “reorganize” the existing cooperation between the two governments, a statement from the Kurdistan government read following a high level meeting Wednesday morning in Erbil.
An Iraqi delegation that included the ministers for oil, electricity, agriculture, education, and a representative from the finance ministry met with their counterparts in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as well as Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his deputy Qubad Talabani.
The visit by the Iraqi government delegation is said to have been made upon the request of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
The two sides showed that they are ready to “open a new chapter and continue dialogue to resolve their problems,” the KRG statement read.
They “also discussed the formation of a joint committee to further and reorganize the mechanism of the cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad in the fields of oil, electricity in such a way that it takes into consideration the interests of all the Iraqi people.”
The KRG statement did not disclose the details of the new mechanism for cooperation between the two governments.
The visit, the first since Erbil announced its plans to hold an independence referendum on September 25, came amid outstanding issues between the two sides, mainly related to the border and oil, as well as the issue of disputed areas claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad, including the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, that will take part in the referendum.
Rudaw had learned that a major topic of discussion between the two delegations was the installation of a new refinery in Kirkuk and the question of oil exports from the city.
Baghdad has been opposed to the independent export of oil by the Kurdistan government to the outside world, but Erbil has been selling its oil since 2014 with increasingly fewer challenges from the central government.
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1:00 p.m.
The KRG and Iraqi government's high-level meeting on a range of topics in Erbil ended, said Rudaw's Farhad Dolamari.
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11:20 a.m.
The Iraqi government delegation headed by Jabar Ali al-Luaibi, Iraq's oil minister is in a meeting with Nechirvan Barzani prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and a number of cabinet ministers.
Deputies from the ministries of electricity, agriculture, education and finance are among the delegates of the Iraqi government.
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UPDATE: Iraqi delegation in Erbil to discuss oil, Kirkuk refinery and water resources
10:21 a.m.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A high-level Iraqi government delegation of oil, education, health and agriculture officials arrived in Erbil on Wednesday, reportedly to discuss a range of issues among them energy and water resources.
Rudaw has learnt that a major topic of discussion between the Iraqi delegation and Erbil is the installation of a new refinery in Kirkuk and the question of oil exports from the city.
The delegation is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and other officials from the Kurdistan Region.
Rudaw's Sangar Abdulrahman reported from the Erbil International Airport that delegation is headed by Jabar Ali al-Luaibi, Iraq's oil minister. Deputies from the ministries of electricity, agriculture, education and finance are among the delegates.
This is the first official visit by Iraqi government officials to Erbil since the Kurdistan Region announced last month that it would hold a referendum on independence in late September, a move that has received strong opposition by Baghdad.
The visit by the Iraqi government delegation is said to be upon the request of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
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