Nechervan Barzani’s comments came during a joint press conference held in Sulaimani with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) politburo, Mala Bakhtiar said on Sunday (January 7), following a meeting between the PUK and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Barzani who is also the KDP deputy head referred to the meeting between his party and PUK as “important for the current situation that the Kurdistan Region is passing through.”

Mala Bakhtiar said in the conference that “we were surprised by Baghdad’s position towards the Kurdistan Region after the independence referendum.”

“We were not expecting Baghdad to have such a stance towards us despite our mutual history, struggle and the blood we have jointly shed,” Bakhtiar said referring to military and economic measures by the Iraqi government against Kurdistan, following the referendum.

The PUK and KDP are also set to hold another meeting on Monday to discuss the Kirkuk situation, said the head of PUK politburo Mala Bakhtiar.

Erbil and Baghdad have yet to gather officially at the negotiation table to tackle the feud and relations between them, which have deteriorated since mid-October.

“We must correct the mistakes we have made and resolve financial issues with each other,” said Bakhtiar.

Reporter’s code: 50101