ERBIL — Kurdish leader and president of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Masoud Barzani welcomed the passage of Iraq’s 2021 Budget Law on Wednesday.

After months of intensive negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad, the Kurds succeeded in securing the share of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) from the 2021 national budget of Iraq.

“The approval of the Iraqi budget is a right step in the right direction,” the Kurdish leader wrote in a statement in which he also thanked the Kurdish factions at the Iraqi parliament, as well as the KRG, for their determination and persistence throughout months of dialogue over the issue.

“We hope that it will help to strengthen the principles of dialogue and peaceful coexistence, as well as the principle of partnership between the components of Iraq,” Barzani added.