President Barzani says resolving Erbil-Baghdad disputes a ‘priority’ for next government

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Resolving outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad is a major priority for the next Iraqi government, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said Wednesday amid ongoing oil and gas disputes between the two governments.

President Barzani discussed the issues between the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) with UK ambassador to Iraq Mark Bryson-Richardson, emphasizing the need to continue dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad in bids to resolve issues. 

“The President deemed it necessary that the next Iraqi government’s foremost priority be the resolution of Erbil-Baghdad disputes,” reads a statement from Barzani’s office.

Tensions between the KRG and the Iraqi federal government soared following a ruling by Iraq’s top court in February against the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law.

The top court found the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law to be “unconstitutional,” therefore striking down the legal basis for the Region’s oil and gas sector. The decision has repeatedly received strong condemnation from Kurdish leaders.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Saturday visited Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in Baghdad, agreeing to “increase dialogue between the Federal Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of Natural Resources in the Kurdistan Region” in an effort to resolve pending disagreements.

Iraq has been trapped in a nine-month long political turmoil. Wednesday marked 290 days of the country being devoid of a cabinet, setting a new record over the 289 days during former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki’s second term in 2010. 

The two main Kurdish parties - the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - have not agreed on a joint candidate for Iraq’s presidency, but the pro-Iran Coordination Framework on Monday announced its candidate for the Iraqi premiership.

Barzani and Bryson-Richardson also discussed last week’s deadly shelling in Duhok’s Zakho district, which killed nine Iraqi tourists and sparked national outrage in the country. Iraqi and Kurdish officials attributed the attack to Turkey which denied involvement.