Shafaq News / The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) cabinet convened to urge the Federal Finance Ministry in Baghdad to disburse employees' salaries to the region's Ministry of Finance and Economy without discrimination.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani discussed his recent successful visit to the United States, emphasizing the importance of bilateral relations and resolving disputes with the federal government.

Minister of Peshmerga Affairs Shoresh Ismail highlighted the visit's success and reaffirmed US support for Kurdistan.

Moreover, the Integrity Commission (CoI) presented its first report on combating corruption, with recommendations to enhance transparency and accountability.

Minister Awat Sheikh Janab outlined the steps taken to secure funding for Regional salaries, noting a deficit in disbursement from the Federal Ministry of Finance.

He also discussed efforts to localize salary payments through the Bank Account Project.

The cabinet commended anti-corruption efforts and stressed the importance of equitable salary disbursement.

They emphasized that salary recipients in the Region should have the same banking options as those in other parts of Iraq.

KRG has initiated efforts to localize employee salaries through the "My Account" project, supervised by the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI).

Despite the federal government's recent release of funds for the Kurdistan Region's salaries for February, the Ministry of Finance warned that no funding would be provided for March 2024 if employee salaries are not localized.

On Monday, the Iraqi Ministry of Finance announced the disbursement of salaries to the Kurdistan Region for February 2024, aligning with the directives of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and the approval of the Minister of Finance.

According to the Ministry's statement, the salaries encompass funding for various categories, including civilian employees, allowances for people with disabilities, retirees' salaries, martyrs' and orphans' entitlements, and financial allocations for departments in the Region.

"The Ministry has duly informed the Federal Court about the content of the relevant letters concerning the salary disbursement. However, the release of salaries for March is contingent upon the completion of localization requirements by the Kurdistan Region." The statement explained.

The Ministry emphasized that KRG is urged to "bear legal responsibility for the accuracy and validity of the information and data provided to regulatory and legal authorities."

Salaries are among the main outstanding issues between the Iraqi and the Kurdish governments, along with the oil export and disputed areas.

Last month, the Federal Court, Iraq's highest judicial authority, mandated to localize the salaries for Kurdistan's employees in government banks starting this February.

The Court's new decision has sparked anger and criticism among Kurdish politicians, with some claiming that the decision is unconstitutional and politically motivated and that it undermines the autonomy and finances of the Region.

However, some observers and experts argue that the decisions are correct and consistent with the law and the constitution and that they will ensure the rights of everyone and end the suffering of the Region's employees who have delayed receiving their salaries for months.