A statement issued by the office of Khaled Shawani, the regional minister for talks with Baghdad, said, " a letter dated 2/3/2021 had been sent to the Ministry of Agriculture in the federal government regarding the problem of agricultural lands within the borders of Kirkuk governorate and its environs and the renewal of agricultural contracts, which is a violation of Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, and as these agricultural lands are under Iraqi Cabinet Decisions No. 29 of 2012 and the Presidency's decision itself for the year 2007 regarding canceling contracts for all agricultural lands in the region to change the identity and demography of Kirkuk.
"The Federal Ministry of Agriculture responded with Book No. 1020 on 5/4/2021 to the letter and said that the distribution and renewal of land contracts had been suspended."
The statement added, "This is the result of resorting to dialogue, exchanging points of view, and the continuous meetings of the regional minister for dialogue with the concerned parties regarding preparing the appropriate atmosphere to find a solution to the pending problems of Kirkuk and its surroundings."
Reporter's code: 50101