Adviser: Kurdish PM Nechirvan Barzani to visit Baghdad soon

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) A high-level delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan Region, led by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, will visit Baghdad soon, a senior Kurdish official was quoted saying Wednesday.

Kurdish network Rudaw quoted Barzani’s media adviser, Samir Hawrami, saying that the prime minister, accompanied by his deputy, Qubad Talabani, will visit Baghdad soon to discuss some pending issues, including the region’s share in the federal budget.

Relations deteriorated between Baghdad and Erbil after the autonomous region voted in a popular poll in September for independence from Iraq, a step Baghdad deemed unconstitutional.

After several penal measures from Baghdad, including an embargo on international flights to Kurdistan, and a recapture of territories where sovereignty is disputed by both sides, a detente was witnessed over the past few months after Baghdad lifted the embargo and recent reports denote joint management of disputed regions. Baghdad has also sent long-awaited salaries to salaries to Kurdistan government employees.

But Kurdistan still views the recently published federal budget as unfair as it  had slashed the region’s allocations to slightly above 12 percent, down from 17 percent. The region’s representatives had boycotted the approval of the document.

Both sides have frequently emphasized on dialogue to address disputed issues.