Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister, US Secretary of State Talk over the Phone

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani received a phone call from the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday to discuss the latest political developments including the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad.

Tillerson expressed condolences over the loss of civilians following last week’s earthquake, offering his country’s assistance to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to provide aid to those affected.

Concerning the disputes between Erbil and Bagdad, Tillerson welcomed the de-escalation of the situation on the contact lines between the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces, encouraging both sides to return to the negotiating table to address their differences.

Reiterating Erbil’s commitment to peaceful dialogues within the framework of the Iraqi constitution, Barzani also sought greater engagement of the US, UN and the international community to ease the tensions between the KRG and Iraq.

He also asked Tillerson to encourage Baghdad on ending the sanctions which have severely affected the humanitarian aid shipments being delivered via the airports to the Kurdistan Region. Barzani reminded the official that nearly 2 million Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs are still living in Kurdistan Region, in need of further aid.