ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A high-level meeting between delegates from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq was “successful,” and we are “hopeful” the long-standing issues between Erbil and Baghdad can be addressed, ministers said following the meeting on Sunday.

Many ministers from the KRG and Iraqi government as well as senior Kurdish leaders attended the meeting which took place in the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil. Among them were the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, the incumbent KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, and the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Chancellor, and nominee for the future KRG prime minister post, Masrour Barzani.

It was the largest such meeting between Erbil and Baghdad since the formation of the new federal government headed by Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who is thought to have good relations with the Kurds.

Following the meeting, KRG Minister of Planning Ali Sindi and Iraqi Trade Minister Mohammed Hashim held a joint press conference where they commended the positive talks between the two sides in resolving lingering disputes.

Hashim said some issues between Erbil and Baghdad had been addressed while other, more complicated ones, need more time so the Kurdistan Parliament can issue adequate laws to support decisions its Iraqi counterpart makes.

He noted that they also discussed the customs points at border crossings and products being imported into the country.

Sindi, meanwhile, told reporters the purpose of the meeting was to facilitate and increase trade cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad, especially after ties between both sides had deteriorated over the past years.

He said they also discussed the decentralization of granting licenses to factories which are opened in the Kurdistan Region without requiring registration in Baghdad.

According to Sindi, there is cooperation and coordination between Erbil and Baghdad to address bilateral issues and amend some laws the Kurdistan Parliament had issued, without providing details.

The Kurdish minister added that they discussed the possibility of opening some Iraqi government offices in the Kurdistan Region to strengthen relations.

A delegation from the KRG Trade and Industry Ministry will visit Baghdad next week to discuss matters on imports.

Ties between the two governments continue to improve following a near-complete breakdown in the aftermath of the Kurdish bid for independence in 2017 that culminated with the previous federal administration’s attack on Peshmerga-protected disputed territories, obliging the latter forces’ retreat from the areas they had spared from the Islamic State.

Since the formation of the new federal government headed by Abdul-Mahdi in October last year, ties between Erbil and Baghdad have considerably improved, building a strong bond between the two.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany