President Masoud Barzani on Monday discussed relations between Erbil and Baghdad with France’s Ambassador to Iraq Patrick Durel at the Salahaddin summer residence.

According to the readout, they discussed ongoing disputes between Erbil and Baghdad and assessed the recent negotiations between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi federal government.

Other key topics included the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections scheduled for November, the next stages of the political process in Iraq, and the relations between the Kurdistan Region and France.

Furthermore, Ambassador Durel met with KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, where they also discussed the need to resolve the outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government.

“They emphasized the importance of respecting the constitutional status of the Kurdistan Region and securing its rightful financial and constitutional entitlements,” the KRG readout said.

In May, Iraq’s federal Ministry of Finance decided to suspend the salaries of public employees in the Kurdistan Region for this year.

Currently, there are ongoing negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil to find a solution to this issue, and also to resume Kurdish crude oil exports through Turkey, which were stopped on March 25, 2023 after an international arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad.

Later on Monday evening, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also received Ambassador Durel.

According to the Kurdistan Region Presidency, they discussed France’s relations with both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. They also exchanged views on the general situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as opportunities for French companies in investment and trade in both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Both sides emphasized the need to resolve outstanding issues between the federal government of Iraq and the KRG through dialogue and based on the Iraqi Constitution.