PM Barzani: a fair deal in the 2023 budget is a "good beginning" for resolving Baghdad-Erbil disputes

Shafaq News/ The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan region, Masrour Barzani, and the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Iraq, Ville Varjola, discussed the reforms in the region's banking sector in a meeting in Erbil on Tuesday.

According to a readout issued by his bureau, Prime Minister Barzani discussed with his guest the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reform program, the Erbil-Baghdad relations, and an array of issues of mutual interest.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Barzani welcomed the new head of EU Delegation –Erbil Liaison Office– Torkild BYG, who attended the meeting.

Barzani congratulated the new envoy and wished him success in his mission, the readout said.

The meeting touched on reforming the banking sector in Iraq's region of Kurdistan and the prospects for cooperation with the EU in this domain, the readout noted.

They also highlighted developing the coordination between the EU and the Kurdistan region, particularly in the ongoing KRG reform program toward economic diversification.

On the disputes between Baghdad and Erbil, Barzani said that finding common ground on the region's share in Iraq's 2023 federal budget might be a "good beginning" in the direction of resolving them fundamentally.