ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Political parties in the Kurdistan Region should come together to form an inclusive government as its formation will enhance the Region’s stability and economic advancement, the US State Department said on Wednesday.
“We encourage political parties to support an inclusive and timely KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government] formation. The seating of a new government will allow the KRG … to advance human rights, promote economic development, and enhance the IKR [Iraqi Kurdistan Region] resiliency as part of a secure, stable, and sovereign Iraq,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told Rudaw in a press briefing.
He was commenting on the visit of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran Victoria Taylor to Erbil, where she met with President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
Miller said that Taylor was in the Region “for diplomatic conversations focused on IKR stability and security.”
The Kurdistan Region held long-overdue parliamentary elections on October 20 but the political parties have yet to agree on a mechanism for forming the government.
According to Miller, Washington has also encouraged Erbil and Baghdad to reach a sustainable agreement on budgetary issues.
“We have engaged the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to reach a durable agreement that would facilitate sustained oil production in the Kurdistan Region. We have seen the review of the budget amendment this week and urge its speedy adoption,” he said.
Disputes between Erbil and Baghdad over the regional government’s share in the federal budget have remained unresolved for years.
KRG’s civil servants have not been paid on time for years. They have yet to receive December salaries. Erbil and Baghdad have blamed one another for the unpaid salaries. The fate of the January salary also remains unclear.
