The Kurdistan regional parliament called on the Iraqi federal government to respond to initiatives calling for dialogue and to open a new page in relations between Baghdad and Erbil on the basis of the Constitution. In a news conference on Thursday, the Kurdish parliamentary secretary, Begard Talabani said that the parliament addressed a letter to the federal government in Baghdad to request “the acceptance of initiatives made by the territorial government to hold negotiations on the outstanding issues between the two sides.” “We expressed our words frankly that we are for dialogue and talks between both sides, Erbil and Baghdad, within the framework of the Iraqi constitution and all the Iraqi laws and agreements we signed with the Iraqi government in the past concerning the budget of the Kurdistan Region,” Talabani told reporters. She added that Parliament’s presidency “authorized the Government of the Territory to take any actions deemed appropriate to achieve understanding or to sign any agreements with the federal side to end the existing problems, overcome the current stage and open together a new page of mutual relations.” Talabani emphasized that Parliament’s presidency met with officials of foreign consulates accredited in the Kurdistan region, and informed them of its “good intention to resolve problems with Baghdad.” Parliament also called on foreign diplomats to exert pressure on the federal government to engage in serious negotiations with the Kurdish side, according to Talabani. “It has also prepared its own project on how to solve the existing problems through constitutional methods… and address the crisis pertaining to the state budget,” the secretary added.