ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Khamis al-Khanjar, head of Iraq’s Sunni Sovereignty Alliance, said on Sunday that “there is a real opportunity” to resolve the outstanding disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, following a meeting with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Baghdad. 

Barzani arrived in Baghdad on Saturday morning to hold a series of meetings with top Iraqi officials, with the resolution of outstanding issues between the two governments based on the constitution being top of the agenda.

The meeting with Khanjar kicked off the second day of his Baghdad visit.

“His visit to Baghdad at this time was important, which came with the formation of Iraq’s new cabinet under the leadership of Ali al-Zaidi. I believe that there is now a real opportunity to resolve all the disputes between the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] and the federal government and stop them from recurring in the future,” Khanjar told reporters following the meeting.

The visit marks the premier’s first official trip to Baghdad since the formation of the new Iraqi cabinet and his seventh visit as Kurdistan Region Prime Minister since taking office in 2019.

Zaidi's cabinet was approved by the Iraqi parliament on May 14, with 14 of 23 ministerial portfolios having thus far been filled. 

As for the disputes, Erbil has long bemoaned Baghdad's failure to adequately implement Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which relates to disputed territories, while disagreements over budget, the management of oil exports, and domestic revenues have seen Baghdad refuse to fund the Region's civil servants' salaries for over a decade.

Khanjar also stressed the need to stop the continued attacks on the Kurdistan Region by Iran-aligned militias, which has been another main topic on Barzani’s agenda during the meetings.

“The things that happened in the Israel and US war against Iran and the attacks by the armed groups and others on the Kurdistan Region and the Arab countries have pushed all Iraqi political forces to solve these issues,” he added.

Since the US-Israel war with Iran started in late February, the Kurdistan Region has come under hundreds of drone and missile attacks, which have continued despite a ceasefire between the warring sides.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of pro-Iran Iraqi militias linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.

Kurdish authorities have continuously condemned the attacks launched by the Iraqi militias on the Region, while calling on Baghdad to control the “outlaw groups” and prevent the recurrence of strikes.

After meeting Khanjar, Barzani met with Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, where the need to resolve Erbil-Baghdad disputes based on the constitution was stressed once again.

“We are proud of the Kurdistan Region, which has made great sacrifices and played a defining role in bringing about Iraq's current political system,” Araji said during the meeting, according to a statement from the KRG.