Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) - Chaired by Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani, the Kurdistan Regional Government Council of Ministers held its last meeting of 2017 on Thursday.

At the start of meeting, also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, the Council congratulated the people of the Kurdistan Region and the world on the occasion of the New Year and wished a happy, peaceful, and stable year for everyone. 
The Council discussed the latest situation and relations with Iraqi authorities, especially the outcomes of meetings in Baghdad between the KRG technical committees and relevant federal authorities.

The Council welcomed the Federal Government’s initiative to form these technical committees to discuss ways to resolve mutual issues, including public employees' salaries.

The Council emphasized that dialogue and partnership between relevant institutions of the Kurdistan Region and the federal government is the right step in the right direction to resolve issues within the framework of the Iraqi Constitution, adding that the KRG is ready to present Baghdad with biometric information of all its civil servants and payroll beneficiaries.
The Council also requested the Oil and Gas Committee to submit data needed to prove to the Federal Government and public opinion that the income generated from Kurdistan Region’s oil sales have been used to pay salaries of KRG civil servants.
Other topics, including continued administrative reforms aimed at reducing unnecessary public expenditures, were also discussed at the meeting.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani held a press conference in which he expressed hope that the New Year will be a better year for the people of the Kurdistan Region.

He also welcomed the Iraqi President’s initiative of sending a letter to both Erbil and Baghdad in which he urged both sides to start a dialogue. He also considered the latest statements by Iraqi Vice President Nouri Al-Maliki, who expressed his objection to the financial embargo on the Kurdistan Region, as positive. Prime Minister Barzani reiterated that the KRG is ready to negotiate with Baghdad on all outstanding issues in order to resolve the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad. He said exchanging statements through press conferences is inappropriate and that both sides must sit together and discuss all issues face-to-face.
He expressed disappointment about the federal government’s decision to extent the international flight ban at the Kurdistan Region's airports, describing the extension as a collective punishment against the residents of the Kurdistan Region, including refugees and aid workers.

Prime Minister Barzani stressed that the KRG is adamant in carrying out reforms in all its institutions in order to better serve all the people of the Kurdistan Region by reducing unnecessary spending.

In reply to a question regarding the Iraqi Government’s recent moves to re-Arabize villages in the disputed territories, Prime Minister Barzani said that these actions will not serve the interests of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, will create more instability, and will not solve any problem. He called on the federal government to halt this process immediately and also called upon the United Nations to intervene in order to stop such destructive and divisive activities.