14 January 2018 - 01:03

Iranian envoy says Tehran ready to mediate between Erbil and Baghdad

<p style="text-align: left;">A senior Iranian diplomat on Saturday said his country was prepared to mediate between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to resolve the ongoing disputes following last September&rsquo;s referendum.

Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi stated Tehran was making efforts “to find a way out of the crisis” between Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

“Iran is making efforts to help end the conflict between Baghdad and Kurdistan,” Masjedi said, according to Fars News Agency.

The ambassador added that Iran wanted “to ensure the interests of the central government [of Iraq] and also the interests of the Kurdistan Region” were considered before moving forward with mediation efforts.

On Wednesday, Turkey also said it was ready to mediate between Iraq and Kurdistan to mend ties following the historic Sep. 25 vote.

According to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, there were requests from both sides for Ankara to take steps in normalizing relations.

Earlier this year, the KRG said it welcomed any positive steps taken by the Iraqi government to conduct a dialogue and resolve issues based on the Constitution adopted since 2005.

Reporter’s code: 50101

News Code 3712