Baghdad-Erbil Reconciliation Deal Working Well, Reviving Region's Economy - Kurdish Party

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Baghdad-Erbil Reconciliation Deal Working Well, Reviving Region's Economy - Kurdish Party

The reconciliation deal reached by Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan last fall has helped improve bilateral relations and revive the autonomous region's economy, Hoshawi Babakr, representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Russia, told Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2019) The reconciliation deal reached by Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan last fall has helped improve bilateral relations and revive the autonomous region's economy, Hoshawi Babakr, representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Russia, told Sputnik.

"After new Iraqi Prime Minister [Adel Abdul Mahdi] was elected [in October 2018], relations between Baghdad and Erbil changed a lot. [Kurdistan Regional Government's Prime Minister Nechirvan] Barzani's trip to Baghdad changed everything after their frank talks. Iraq now allocates a budget to Kurdistan; wages are being paid regularly to officials. This has resuscitated Kurdistan's economy.

The agreement between Baghdad and Erbil works well," Babakr said.

Erbil and Baghdad are now in the process of negotiating the terms pertaining to Iraqi Kurdistan's participation in Iraq's new government, which it is rebuilding itself after years of military conflict with the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia).

These developments come after bilateral relations significantly deteriorated three years ago, when the region held a referendum in a bid to secede from Iraq. Baghdad declared the referendum illegitimate and launched a military operation in the region, notably capturing the capital of the oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk.