Speaker Dr. Rewas Faiq receives US Consul General Mr. Steven Fagin

Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Dr. Rewas Faiq on 19 December welcomed the U.S. Consul General in Erbil, Mr. Steve Fagin.

The Speaker briefed Mr. Fagin on current Baghdad-Erbil relations and said, “Iraq is going through a critical stage, particularly with regards to who will become the new Prime Minister, and it has become a matter of debate among most political forces.”

Dr. Faiq added, “We in the Parliament face great challenges, and we have to pass a law [the Reform Law] that creates a balance with people’s living standards, it is difficult to create this balance since salaries and allowances were approved by law.”

The Speaker said that amendments to Kurdistan’s Investment Law are needed to give more support to commercial and agricultural sectors, not only to the industrial sector. She also mentioned the current passage through Parliament of Bill that supports local agricultural products in Kurdistan Region, which has recently had its first reading.