The President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Baghdad on June 20th. During his two days stay in the Iraqi capital, he met with the Iraqi president, government and parliament leaders and the leaders of the political parties and movements in the Iraq.

In meetings with government and party officials in Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani stressed on the shared nature of issues and responsibilities with all Iraqis, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Presidency. “We all have a common destiny, and the issues of Iraq and the Kurdistan region are all Iraqis.”

The president of the Kurdish region pointed out that after years of conflict and problems in the Erbil-Baghdad relations, “we must not return to the past, but now it is the time to reach a common understanding and a comprehensive and satisfactory agreement between the two sides. The result is stability, justice and progress in the present and the future. We have to resolve all differences.”

He described the current crises in the country as deep and widespread as well as difficult, reiterating that the crises can be transformed into opportunities to work together and combat against the difficulties and crises that the country is experiencing, and “this requires a sense of responsibility for all as continuing disagreements is not in the interest of either party.”

We can all reach a common agreement on a better way to manage the country in a way that serves all citizens, he further said.

Nechirvan Barzani underscored that the Kurdistan region is ready to resolve disputes over all outstanding issues with the federal government in accordance with the constitution, so that the federal system, rights, duties and priorities, the current living situation and the livelihood of the citizens will be taken into account.

In order to achieve the goal, the role of Iraqi leaders, parties and political movements to support dialogue and resolve issues and reach agreement is quite significant.

The statement concluded as stating that at the meetings, Iraqi leaders and political parties expressed their support to Barzani's statements and positions and welcomed his visit to Baghdad at this time as a positive message by the KRG for Baghdad and the president’s seriousness and concern for resolving the bilateral issues and problems, and expressed their satisfaction with declaring the Kurdish region's readiness to discuss and resolve all issues of conflict with the federal government.

It is worth noting that the president of the Kurdish region arrived in Baghdad at the head of a high-level delegation, during which he met with Mustafa Kadhimi, the new Iraqi prime minister, and later with Iraqi President Barham Salih and Parliament Speaker Mohammed Halbousi.

During Barzani's meetings with the leaders of political parties, the two sides called for resolving problems between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government on the basis of the constitution and through joint co-operation to achieve public interests and protect the rights of all citizens in the country.

Reporter’s code: 50101