ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Mohamed al-Hassan, on Tuesday met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to discuss relations between Erbil and Baghdad.
“The discussion focused on the political process and the overall situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, including relations between Erbil and Baghdad, as well as ongoing efforts to resolve outstanding issues,” the Kurdistan Region Presidency said in a statement.
“Both sides emphasized the importance of addressing the issues between Erbil and Baghdad through dialogue and mutual understanding,” the statement added.
The UNAMI chief also met with Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, where they discussed “recent developments in the Kurdistan Region, and the situation in Iraq and the wider region,” according to a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) statement., adding that they highlighted “the importance of safeguarding the constitutional rights and financial entitlements of the people of Kurdistan, and upholding the federal status of the Kurdistan Region.”
The meetings come amid ongoing oil and financial disputes between the KRG and the Iraqi federal government. On Monday, the Kurdistan Region’s finance ministry said it had received more than a trillion Iraqi dinars from Baghdad to fund July salaries.
Tensions between the two sides escalated in late May when the federal finance ministry halted budget transfers, accusing the KRG of exceeding its 12.67 percent share and failing to fulfill oil export commitments. The suspension impacted the salaries of over 1.2 million public employees in the Kurdistan Region.
However, the standoff began to ease last month when Erbil and Baghdad reached a deal committing the KRG to export all of its oil - estimated at 230,000 barrels per day - through Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO).
However, implementation of the deal has stalled due to unresolved technical and financial issues.
