Iraq, Kurdistan discussed budget, hydrocarbons laws in an expanded meeting, readout says

Shafaq News/ Baghdad hosted an expanded meeting between Iraq's federal government and a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday, an official readout by Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani's office said.

The meeting was attended by Iraq's ministers of planning, oil, finance, and construction, in addition to the prime minister's advisor for economic affairs, SOMO director, and the heads of the financial oversight department, the border crossings department, and the legal department at the cabinet's secretariat.

KRG's delegation included the ministers of finance and natural resources, the head of the cabinet's diwan, the prime minister's secretary, and KRG's representative in the Iraqi capital.

The readout said the meeting discussed in detail the progress Iraq's 2023 budget has achieved, stressing the need to finalize it as soon as possible to proceed with implementing strategic plans, reforms, and projects.

The meeting also touched upon a spectrum of contentious issues, particularly those relevant to the region's oil wealth, and reiterated both sides' commitment to resolving them in accordance with the permanent constitution of Iraq, the readout said