ERBIL (Kurdistan Chronicle) — A high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) arrived in Baghdad on Saturday evening for a new round of negotiations with the federal government of Iraq, KRG said in a statement. 

Headed by Finance and Economy Minister Awat Sheikh Janab, the Kurdish delegation will focus on a plan to draft a new oil and gas law in Baghdad that could secure the rights of the Kurdistan Region and, ultimately, put an end to the prolonged energy disputes. 

The federal budget law of the fiscal year of 2023, KRG’s share, and the administration of territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad are also on the agenda, according to the statement. 

This is the first delegation from Erbil since the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court in late January ruled against sending the financial entitlements of the KRG by Baghdad for the last two months of 2022. 

According to a previous agreement, Baghdad shall send IQD 200 million monthly, mainly for the payment of public servants’ salaries. 

Kurdish leaders have previously expressed disappointment with the Federal Supreme Court, calling its decisions “politically motivated”. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister said in a statement last month that the top court had been used to “jeopardize” the Erbil-Baghdad agreements.

KRG argues that the Federal Court has not been formed according to the constitution, therefore, its decisions should not be considered constitutional.

The court ruled KRG’s oil exports “unconstitutional” last year.