The Council of Ministers reaffirms its support for the agreement between Erbil and Baghdad

On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) chaired a meeting of the KRG Council of Ministers, with Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani in attendance.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister highlighted the latest developments regarding the Iraqi budget draft law for the years 2023 to 2025 and the efforts to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region based on the agreed deal with the Iraqi government. The Council of Ministers reaffirmed its support for the agreement between the KRG and the Federal Government on the budget, and called upon all Kurdish political factions in the Iraqi Parliament to coordinate their efforts in defending the constitutional rights and financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Region.

The second part of the meeting focused on the latest plans from the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism. Minister Sasan Awni presented a detailed report on the regulations which control construction standards throughout the Kurdistan Region and the new guidelines for online registration of public and private properties issued by the ministry. The Council of Ministers instructed the Presidency of Diwan, the Secretary of the Council of Ministers, and the Department of Information Technology to coordinate and support all ministries in implementing the digitalisation of services, including the registration of public properties and real estate in the government’s Data Centre.

In the third part of the meeting, Minister of Interior Rebar Ahmed briefed the council on the implementation of previous regulations issued by the Council of Ministers regarding unregistered SIM cards, vehicles, and unlicensed guns. He presented the steps taken by the ministry to address these issues, highlighting both the progress made and the obstacles faced. The Minister of Interior expressed his appreciation for the public’s support and announced that the deadline for registering unlicensed guns is mid-July 2023. Beyond this deadline, the Ministry of Interior will enforce the new firearms licensing regulations.

Moving to the fourth part of the meeting, both Minister of Housing and Reconstruction Dana Abdulkareem and Minister of Interior Rebar Ahmed informed the council about the misuse of public pathways along roadsides and motorways. They agreed to take measures to address this issue, including the establishment of regulations to prevent such misuse and the enforcement of penalties for violators.

Finally, at the end of the session, the Council of Ministers congratulated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government on winning the election, expressing hopes for the strengthening of relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Republic of Türkiye, based on good neighbourliness and mutual interests.