In a press conference with the U.S. Envoy to Iraq, Daglas Sulaiman, after the inauguration ceremony of opening a U.S. international development agency office in Erbil on Monday, Talabani said the opening of the office is a joint attempt by Erbil and Washington and it proves that the U.S. backs the Kurdish region and the region appreciates the effort.

He stated that the opening of the office is a good opportunity for the region, reiterating that the U.S. backs the region within an Iraqi federal state.

He went on to that Erbil will open a new chapter of ties with Baghdad and the Iraqi central government would, therefore, have no excuse to not pay the salaries of the region’s clerks and stressed that Baghdad is responsible in providing the security of the disputed regions in Iraq.

The U.S. envoy, for his part, stresses on the U.S. support to Erbil and said the opening of the office is within Erbil-Washington economic relations, urging both Baghdad and Erbil to continue bilateral talks.

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