Kurdistan's Prime Minister criticizes Baghdad's failure to disburse financial dues

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani strongly criticized the Iraqi government for failing to release financial dues, which he described as a "breach of constitutional agreements."

In a statement on the X platform, Barzani stated, "Baghdad's refusal to send our financial dues confirmed in the federal general budget is a violation of constitutional agreements, harms our citizens, and undermines confidence."

Earlier, the KRG government had called on the federal government in Baghdad to disburse the financial entitlements allocated according to the budget. The council also urged the international community to support the Kurdistan Region in securing its constitutional rights and economic entitlements under the constitution and established agreements.

Financial disbursements from the Iraqi government to the Kurdistan Region have been a significant source of tension between the two entities.

The KRG relies on these funds to finance its operations. Still, the Iraqi government has been hesitant to provide additional funds, especially since the KRG's unilateral declaration of independence from Iraq in 2014, which reduced financial disbursements.

Last June, Iraq's parliament finally approved a record $152 billion budget for 2023 after months of disputes over the distribution of oil revenues between the central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region in the north. The budget allocates 12.6% of the revenue to the Kurdish region but has been seen as strengthening Baghdad's control over oil revenues.