Bafel Jalal Talabani, President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), met with Andrew Bizley, the British Consul General in the Kurdistan Region, in Sulaimaniyah on Monday. The meeting was attended by Shalaw Kosrat Rasul.

In a statement, the PUK President said the meeting addressed recent political and economic developments and stressed the need for cooperation among all parties in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to overcome current challenges.

Talabani stated that they visited Baghdad on behalf of the Kurdish people and held talks with the relevant parties to reach an agreement with Baghdad on sending salaries “because the salaried employees are in a difficult situation,” adding that he hopes no obstacles will be created and that oil exports will resume as soon as possible.

He further said that the “PUK believes in the policy of resolving issues through dialogue, and our efforts are to protect the constitutional rights of salaried employees.”

Talabani arrived in Baghdad last week and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and other officials. According to the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office, both sides emphasized the importance of coordination and resolving shared issues in accordance with the constitutional and legal frameworks in place and the Federal Court’s ruling on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers approved a new understanding with the Iraqi federal government on the disbursement of salaries and financial entitlements. The Iraqi Council of Ministers later held an extraordinary meeting, issuing various decisions related to oil and non-oil revenues and the agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government. However, a full agreement on the issues between Erbil and Baghdad is still pending, including the resumption of oil exports and the sending of salaries.