Baghdad, Iraq, (KRG.org) - Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his accompanying delegation met Iraqi Vice Presidents, Usama al-Nujayfi and Ayad Allawi, in two separate meetings yesterday in Baghdad.

Mr. al-Nujayfi expressed his gratitude to the Government and people of the Kurdistan Region for having helped easing the suffering of the internally displaced people from the areas of conflict, where a large number of civilians have fled the violence committed by the Islamic State terrorist organization, also known as ISIS, and took refuge in Kurdistan Region. He said, "These people are your guests and we hope they would not stay long."

Also, He hoped that the talks between the KRG and Iraqi Federal Government would lead to an agreement that would serve both side’s interests.

He stressed that concluding an agreement on the oil issue would mark a significant victory for Iraq, emphasizing that Iraq would not be stable without settling the outstanding issues with the Kurdistan Region.

He said, defeating terrorism and building a state of citizenship need security and political stability. He expressed his optimism regarding "the federal government's new move to reach agreement between Baghdad and Erbil, which we sincerely hope that it would take place without delay."

Prime Minister Barzani stated that the Kurdistan Region has accommodated over 1.6 million internally displaced people and refugees. He stressed that due to KRG’s limited resources in providing all the necessary services, including electricity, health and security, Baghdad should also shoulder its share of the responsibilities.

The Prime Minister recalled that the previous cabinet had unilaterally cut the Kurdistan Region’s budget share, despite the fact that the KRG at the time was not exporting oil and the negotiations with Baghdad were still ongoing.

Prime Minister Barzani said, "We need an agreement which would not allow anyone to unilaterally decide to cut the share of a group of Iraqi citizens. We insist that taking such decisions should not be permitted and repeated in the future.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the Kurdistan Regional Government wants Iraq’s unity, an Iraq where there is no place for such policies. He said, while the Kurdistan Region has other alternatives, it prefers reaching agreement and solutions with the Federal Government of Iraq.

In a separate meeting, the KRG delegation met Iraqi Vice President Dr. Ayad Allawi.

The current security and political situation in Iraq was discussed, as well as the threat that terrorism poses to all the religious and ethnic components of the Iraqi society.

They also highlighted the differences between Erbil and Baghdad with both sides stressing the need to address these problems in a way which benefits both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Prime Minister Barzani stressed that the Kurdistan Region will exert all the efforts needed to reach a settlement that resolves the problems between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Federal Government of Iraq.