“The prime minister affirmed that the government possesses the will and serious desire to end these outstanding issues in a radical manner and move to a broad horizon of joint action and economic opportunities, which will benefit our people in Kurdistan and all other provinces,” a statement from the Iraqi premier’s office read after a meeting with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
Tensions between Erbil and Baghdad have been high over the past months due to disagreements over the legality of the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law and the Region’s share of the federal budget.
The Iraqi cabinet approved the federal budget bill for the years of 2023, 2024, and 2025 on Monday, with Sudani stating that Erbil and Baghdad have reached an all-encompassing agreement to resolve outstanding issues.
Barzani said that Sudani’s “goodwill is recognized and important to restoring trust” following the meeting.
I welcome @mohamedshia on his first visit to the Kurdistan Region. The PM's goodwill is recognized and important to restoring trust. The federal budget bill and progress on oil and gas give us stakes in our finances and lay foundations for deeper ties.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) March 14, 2023
Let's build on them -mb. pic.twitter.com/GibjriUGCl
Among the main issues between Erbil and Baghdad is the implementation of Article 140, with Sudani telling Rudaw’s Ranja Jamal about his interest to resolve the matter following the meeting with Barzani, saying it’s part of the political agreement and that a budget has been assigned for the matter.
""Definitely, the issue of Article 140 is a part of the political agreement and a budget has been assigned for this purpose," PM Sudani told Rudaw's Ranja Jamal pic.twitter.com/QoGDvPF8Vs
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) March 14, 2023
Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution has been one of the most controversial topics relating to the disputed areas in the war-torn country since the drafting of the constitution in 2005, as the failure to fully implement it has been cited as one of the main reasons for the continued attempts at demographic change.
The article calls for the dispute over areas in the provinces of Kirkuk, Diyala, Nineveh, and Salahaddin to be resolved, and includes measures aimed at rectifying Arabization policies implemented under the rule of Hussein. The article specifies that this process needs to be implemented by no later than the end of 2007, yet it remains to be fully applied around 16 years after.
Sudani also met with Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), where they discussed the political process in Iraq and the need to “solve problems on the basis of the constitution,” according to a statement from Barzani’s office.
During the meeting, Barzani “renewed his support for the Iraqi government, expressing hope that the will of all political parties would be directed towards resolving all problems and achieving stability.”
