Domestic changes and an agreement with Baghdad

Dr. Yousef Mohammed
Dear citizens,
We wish you a very happy New Year. We also extend our warmest congratulations to our Christian brothers and sisters in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq on the occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). I wish them an end to their hardships and return to their homeland.
The beginning of 2021 should be an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the citizens of the region. The beginning of the new year will be a time of heated discussions on the Iraqi budget bill, which will be very difficult and decisive between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad and in the Iraqi parliament.
Achieving a balanced solution with Baghdad requires fundamental changes in oil issues, border crossings, collection of non-oil revenues, elimination of corruption and social justice in revenue distribution. By carrying out internal reforms, an agreement with Baghdad will be an opportunity to strengthen the Kurdistan Region.
The key to reaching an agreement with Baghdad, especially on the budget bill and salaries, is the willingness of the Kurdistan Regional Government to deal transparently with the process of extraction, transportation and sale of oil Agreement on other issues between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, especially the land issue that now the citizens of the conflict areas face daily threats and dangers on their land. For at least the past 15 years, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has made the land issue a victim of oil plunder.
We expect the Kurdistan Regional Government authorities to take advantage of their fatal mistakes of the past and not to take the people of the region hostage to their failed arrogance and empty false slogans. Otherwise, we will do our best not to make the lives of our citizens victims of the continuous looting and smuggling of oil by the authorities in the region.
Happy New Year again. I wish everyone safety and health