PM Barzani says he's optimistic about resolving salary issue with Baghdad

Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) expressed optimism on Wednesday that a comprehensive agreement to resolve the salary issue could be reached with the federal government of Iraq.

In a statement following a weekly cabinet meeting, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said that the government is content with the progress made in recent talks with the federal government.

"We are optimistic that we can reach an agreement that will resolve the salary issue once and for all," Barzani said. "We have made it clear to the federal government that this issue is a priority for us, and we are committed to working with them to find a solution."

The KRG has been facing a financial crisis since 2014, when the Islamic State group seized control of large swathes of territory in Iraq. The crisis has led to delays in the payment of salaries for civil servants and public sector employees in the Kurdistan region.

In recent months, the KRG and the federal government have held a series of talks aimed at resolving the salary issue. The talks have focused on a number of issues, including the amount of funding that the federal government will provide to the KRG, and the mechanism for distributing that funding.

Barzani said that the KRG was committed to cooperating with the federal government to find a solution that would be fair to all sides.

"We are confident that we can reach an agreement that will be in the best interests of the people of Iraq," he said.