Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - In a letter to Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi federal government should be resolved peacefully through political negotiations based on the Iraqi Constitution.

He urged both sides to take the necessary steps to create a positive environment in which real negotiations can take place.

Secretary-General Guterres said he is delighted the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Government of Iraq have publicly expressed their openness to these negotiations. He also stressed that the current situation must be preserved from destabilizing, in order to make progress towards national reconciliation, to promote greater stability in the region and to face the threat that is still posed by the ISIS.