Erbil, Baghdad teams near finalization of salary discussions

Shafaq News/ The discussions between Baghdad and Erbil’s technical teams are expected to be completed soon, the Kurdish Ministry of Finance announced on Saturday.

A delegation from Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has been holding meetings with the federal Finance Ministry in Baghdad for the second consecutive day to resolve technical issues.

On Friday, a meeting took place at the residence of Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, led by the Kurdistan Finance Minister, with several general directors in attendance and a delegation of around 20 representatives from the KRG.

The delegation discussed the disbursement of salaries for December 2024 and the allocation of salaries for 2025.

In a press statement attended by Shafaq News correspondent, Kurdistan’s Finance Minister, Awat Sheikh Janab said the atmosphere of the meeting in Baghdad was “very positive”, adding, "We hope to conclude the work and fund the salaries by Sunday, February 2."

The salary issue in the Kurdistan Region has remained unresolved for years due to ongoing disputes with the federal government. Over the past two years, following the suspension of the Region's oil exports through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, the federal government has been providing salaries as “loans.”

In February 2024, the Federal Supreme Court ordered Baghdad to directly pay the Kurdistan Region's employees, bypassing the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), after months of salary delays.

During a parliamentary session, the Iraqi Prime Minister emphasized that the salary issue is not political, but highlighted that the Kurdistan Region has failed to meet any of the clauses in the Budget Law.

He further stated that no additional transfers would be made for the Region's salaries and confirmed that only 760 billion dinars (approximately 608 million USD) would be disbursed, in line with the Region's fixed share of 12.67%.