Iraq's PM confirms continued funding for Kurdistan salaries, says budget deficit at 60 trillion dinars

Shafaq News/ Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Tuesday confirmed the federal government will continue to fund the salaries of public servants in the Kurdistan region despite 60 million dinars in budget deficit.

"The three-year budget included the cost of oil production according to the national benchmark," al-Sudani responded to a question from a correspondent of Shafaq News Agency during a press conference earlier today.

"The cost of extracting oil in the Kurdistan region alone is above this benchmark," he added. "Oil companies operating in the region have halted production."

"The funding of the salaries of Kurdistan's public servants did not stop. The region received a payment in February, as per the budget law, which obliges the government to send the schedules to the parliament."

"The fiscal deficit in the 2023 budget amounts to 60 trillion dinars," he said.