Leader Barzani urges an end to unimportant deal of the Kurdistan People

Shafaq News- Erbil

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) head Masoud Barzani stressed on Wednesday the need to end the “unimportant deal” with the Kurdistan nation on the subject of budget and other issues by the next government in Baghdad.

In a statement issued by his office, Barzani emphasized, during a meeting with the US chargé d’affaires in Iraq, Joshua Harris, that he has consistently advocated for remaining within Iraq under the framework of the constitution and the rule of law, underlining the “importance of observing these principles in the next Iraqi government.”

He also stated that Iraq should maintain “an independent decision-making process and build balanced relations with its neighbors.”

Harris reaffirmed that Washington supports the Kurdistan Region in the Iraqi framework, and expressed his country’s respect for the role of leader Barzani in the political process of Iraq since 2003 until now and in the future of the Iraqi political process.

“Iraq should have its own decisions and interests above other interests so that America can develop its relations with Iraq,” Harris said.

Earlier, the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) accused Iraq’s Planning Ministry of manipulating census results and demanded that the Region’s official 14.1% population share be used to determine its federal budget allocation. The KRG said the figure was confirmed in the results of Iraq’s November 2024 census, excluding disputed areas, and was conducted under an agreement endorsed by federal cabinet decisions that obligate Baghdad to adopt its outcomes. Altering the population percentage would “undermine Kurdistan’s constitutional and financial entitlements,” as its budget share is tied to its proportion of the national population.