Saalax Posted March 13, 2018 IRAQ WILL REOPEN KURDISTAN REGION’S AIRPORTS According to Kurdish media outlet Rudaw, the airports will come under the Federal Interior Ministry and be run in coordination with security forces in Baghdad. BY SETH J. FRANTZMAN MARCH 13, 2018 15:38 Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued an executive decree on Tuesday to allow international flights to land again in Erbil and Sulaimaniya, in the autonomous Kurdistan region. These would be the first flights since Baghdad ordered the two airports closed to international routes in September 2017 after the Kurdistan region held an independence referendum. The order by Abadi was announced on Twitter by an account of the government of Iraq. It says the order to open the airports will be implemented within a week and will be in “compliance with the rules of Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority.” According to Kurdish media outlet Rudaw, the airports will come under the Federal Interior Ministry and be run in coordination with security forces in Baghdad. This will include “biometric systems” linked to Baghdad. Kurdistan Regional Government Interior Minister Karim Sinjari commended the decree. “The reopening of the airports is a step in the right direction toward resolving impending issues between the region and Baghdad.” It appears that the reopening came after a series of discussions between KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Abadi’s administration. Barzani and KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani met with Abadi at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. Behind the scenes, several Western governments encouraged Baghdad to open the airports and sought a compromise between Erbil and Baghdad. Baghdad has said it wants federal control of all border crossings of the Kurdistan region. Prior to the airport closure Erbil operated a different visa system than Baghdad, which fostered foreign investment in the Kurdish region and made it a flexible destination. After the closure, all flights were routed through Baghdad and the number of arrivals in the Kurdistan region declined from up to 50,000 a month to as few as 7,000 a month, according to reports. Many Kurds in northern Iraq celebrated the news on Tuesday. But they are also waiting to see what the federal controls at the airport will mean and how it will operate. http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iraq-will-reopen-Kurdistan-regions-airports-544965 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saalax Posted March 13, 2018 Let this be a lesson to the secessionists. Even oil rich Kurdistan region has been brought back to reality (they are part of Iraq). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duufaan Posted March 13, 2018 Indeed. They missed the opportunity to negotiate better deals. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suldaanka Posted March 13, 2018 Just report here when you have done any action that can have the smallest tinniest affect on reality? Your President is persona-non-grata from any region in Somaliland be it East Sanaag, Sool or Buuhoodleh. In the meanwhile, keep blowing hot air from were the sun never shines. Because that is all you are good at. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saalax Posted March 13, 2018 47 minutes ago, Duufaan said: Indeed. They missed the opportunity to negotiate better deals. Yep. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cadnaan1 Posted March 13, 2018 Iraq was helped by Turkish and Iran to inforce this aviation ban on Kurdish region. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suldaanka Posted March 13, 2018 Nothing more than baabka calaacalka... The foreign paid fraudisters in Mogadishu today understand how worthless their motions really are. Ileen ceebtaada waa la qarsada. Now baabka Calaacalka started, this is Jamal Osman, one of the most anti-Somaliland Cagdheers out there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
