KRG: Resolving status of disputed territories government’s top priority
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani headed the cabinet meeting in Erbil, which his deputy, Qubad Talabani, and other relevant ministers attended. The discussions covered a range of topics concerning Erbil-Baghdad relations, the condition of disputed territories between the regional and federal governments, as well as the coronavirus pandemic, a KRG statement said.
The issue of land ownership and disputed territories is “the current cabinet’s top priority” and very important for the Kurdistan Region, the statement added. It stressed that the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad do not only involve “budget and energy.”
Prime Minister Barzani has previously said the Kurdistan Region’s disputes are not merely on fiscal issues, but also include the identity of disputed territories and the compensation of Kurdish genocide survivors.
The cabinet decided to continue its negotiations with the federal government on the disputed territories and push for serious efforts to implement Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which involves resolving the status of contested areas.
The Kurdistan Region’s top authorities, including Prime Minister Barzani, previously condemned a “new Arabization program” being implemented in the disputed territories under the current local government in the area.
KRG asks federal government to disburse its budget share
In another part of the meeting, the ministers called on the Iraqi government to “no longer delay” the KRG’s share of the federal budget as the autonomous region has been waiting for the sum to be revealed, so it can distribute the salaries of its employees.
In mid-August, Prime Minister Barzani announced that Baghdad had agreed to a “partial restoration” of the region’s share of the national budget, which is 320 billion Iraqi dinars ($270 million) monthly.
Protection of foreign diplomatic missions
Another important point addressed in the KRG cabinet meeting was the latest security developments in Baghdad regarding daily attacks against foreign diplomatic missions.
The cabinet called “for greater action to preserve the integrity and safety of foreign missions in Baghdad,” as it “highlighted the importance of preserving stability in Iraq,” the KRG statement noted.
Prime Minister Barzani previously affirmed that the Kurdistan Region supports the steps his Iraqi counterpart Mustafa al-Kadhimi is taking to stabilize the country.
Coronavirus pandemic
During the meeting, Prime Minister Barzani revealed that the number of infections and deaths due to COVID-19 are rising across the region and urged the relevant authorities as well as the people of the Kurdistan Region to adhere to strict health measures, the statement noted.
As of Wednesday, the Kurdistan Region has recorded over 47,000 coronavirus cases since the onset of the outbreak in early March along with 1,749 deaths.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
