Following their meeting on Saturday in Baghdad, President Nechirvan Barzani and Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani held a press conference in which they discussed their productive meeting. The following is a readout of their remarks.

Prime Minister Al-Sudani:

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Today I am honored to meet with our dear brother, the President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani, and the ministers and the Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region.

This visit holds great importance. It is integral to the ongoing relationship between the Federal Government and the Kurdistan Region Presidency. My honorable colleague, the President of the Kurdistan Region, is always ready to address many of the issues that concern citizens, from welfare and services to small technical and administrative problems that arise between the Region and the federal institutions and ministries.

Our discussions underscored the important principles that are part of the political agreement on which the Government was formed. The principles that emphasize compliance with the Constitution, the principle of partnership and balance, and the resolution of all outstanding matters within the framework of the Constitution.

One of the most significant issues for our people in the Kurdistan Region is that of paying the salaries of civil and security employees, the families of martyrs, and for social welfare.

Following the recent Federal Court ruling, the Federal Ministry of Finance has been in contact with the Ministry of Finance of the Kurdistan Region to complete the initial steps for the salaries ‘stabilization process’ (Tawtin), which needs time. Even the Supreme Federal Court has stressed that Tawtin needs preparation.

On this basis, with the official lists of employees and all ministries and categories that have been audited by both the Regional and Federal Financial Supervision Bureaux, we initiated the payment of salaries. The lists were then sent to the Ministry of Finance to start the salary payments, which was conducted and the entire salaries for both February and March were paid.
We certainly insist on continuing the payments, to ensure that there is no conflict with the Federal Court’s ruling and to help ensure citizens’ livelihoods.

It is undoubtedly our responsibility, as the Federal Government, to pay utmost attention to the wellbeing of employees and citizens, whether in the Region or in other provinces. This can be achieved through the requisite cooperation and flexibility between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Federal Government. Other topics were also discussed, especially with regards to the resumption of oil exports and the amendments that need to be made to the budget law and contracts, along with the comprehensive review approved by the three-year budget law.

We discussed all matters In a positive atmosphere of responsibility and a determination to maintain this understanding and cooperation. Discussions with the political parties and forces were also held, as well as a meeting of the State Administration Coalition which hosted H.E. the President of the Kurdistan Region.

These endeavors and meetings are a pathway towards placing the emphasis on mutual understanding and cooperation, with the aim of serving the people throughout the country.”

President Nechirvan Barzani:

“I would like to thank the honorable Prime Minister for the warm welcome he gave us today. I thank the Prime Minister for all his efforts to resolve the issues between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, as well as all the issues in Iraq in general.

We see that since H. E. al-Sudani became Prime Minister, he has made concerted efforts to serve the whole of Iraq, both the Kurdistan Region and elsewhere. We are pleased with our visit here today, in which we reaffirmed our support for the Prime Minister in his mission to make the Government’s agenda a success. In our meeting with him today, we emphasized the implementation of the government formation agreement. We are of course glad that as a result of this agreement, the salaries of the Kurdistan Region employees will be paid, as the Prime Minister pointed out, within the framework of the agreement reached between Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Prime Minister Sudani, and we hope this will continue.

The meeting discussed the relationship between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad. We are confident that under his supervision and leadership, we will be able to find common ground on the relationship between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad that will be beneficial for all Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

During the meeting, as the Prime Minister said, the topic of oil was discussed and that there are ongoing challenges. However, there have been positive agreements made in principle, and we are optimistic that the oil issue will be resolved promptly. We also have high hopes for the Prime Minister’s successful visit to the United States, wishing for positive outcomes that benefit all of Iraq.