Speaker Dr. Rewas Faiq meets British Ambassador to Iraq Jon Wilks

Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Dr Rewas Faiq on 2 September met the British Ambassador to Iraq Jon Wilks and the British Consulate General in Kurdistan James Thornton.

Ambassador Wilks congratulated Dr. Faiq on her election as Speaker. On gender equality in Kurdistan, he said he hopes that more attention will be given to women’s positions in Kurdistan Region’s institutions. The British government is trying to help Baghdad and Erbil to resolve their outstanding problems, Ambassador Wilks said, and they discussed the recent visit by members of the UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kurdistan Region.

Dr. Faiq informed the delegation about the Kurdistan Parliament’s programme for the new legislative term, which will be based on the agenda of the parliamentary party blocs and the government.

The Speaker added that to lay the political and national ground for activating the committee of prepare the Kurdistan Constitution, Parliament’s Presidency is visiting the polit bureau of the political parties to achieve national and political consensus on drafting a constitution to protect our rights and freedoms and to unite us while respecting our differences.

On the Kurdistan Region’s relations with the Iraqi Government and the Iraqi Council of Representatives, the Speaker said that they are improving and making considerable progress recently. The Kurdistan Parliament supports the KRG in its dialogue with the Iraqi government to resolve all outstanding problems between both sides, she said.

The Speaker added that Parliament is also working to strengthen coordination with the Kurdish blocs in the Iraqi Council of Representatives to ensure Kurdistan’s constitutional and legal rights by preventing the passage of bills that are inconsistent with the Iraqi Constitution. Dr. Faiq gave the civil service law as an example, and said that Kurds are appealing at the Federal Court against previous laws that are inconsistent with Kurdistan’s constitutional rights and diminish the status of Kurdistan’s official institutions, such as the Federal Financial Management Law issued in 2019.

The British Ambassador reiterated his support for Kurdistan Region’s reform agenda and for dialogue to resolve problems between Erbil and Baghdad. He stressed the importance of Kurdistan having good relations with Iraq.