ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani is set to conduct a visit to the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil later this week where he is scheduled to meet with the Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

Sudani and Barzani are set to discuss an array of topics, including the Kurdistan Region’s government formation efforts following the October 20 elections.

The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections on October 20, following a two-year delay, in which the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) emerged as the clear victor, scoring over 400,000 votes more than its nearest competitor the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The two leaders will also discuss Erbil-Baghdad relations and efforts to resolve outstanding issues between the two governments, including issues relating to the general census, the federal budget, Kurdistan Region’s civil servant salaries, and the resumption of Kurdish oil exports.

Erbil and Baghdad have for a decade now been at loggerheads over financial issues, notably salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants.

Years of conflict and unresolved issues between Erbil and Baghdad, and economic sanctions and pressure on Erbil by federal authorities, have pushed employees in the Region to live from paycheck to paycheck. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) financial crisis was exacerbated in the wake of the halt of Erbil’s oil exports following a court ruling on a dispute between Iraq and Turkey over the Kurdistan Region’s independent oil sales.

Exports of the Kurdistan Region’s oil through the Turkish Ceyhan pipeline was halted in March 2023 after Ankara lost a case against Baghdad in a Paris-based arbitration court. The case accused Ankara of breaching a 1973 agreement by allowing the KRG to start selling oil independent of Baghdad.

Iraq is set to carry out a general census on November 20 - the country’s first since 1997. The Kurdistan Region provinces will also be included in the process.

Regional developments and expectations for the future following the reelection of Donald Trump as President of the United States will also be highlighted in the meeting.

The Iraqi premier is also set to meet with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.

Sudani last visited the Kurdistan Region in November 2023.