Sulaymaniyah’s Governor accuses Baghdad of withholding KRI's financial dues
Shafaq News / al-Sulaymaniyah Governor Hawal Abu Bakr, on Saturday, launched an attack on the federal government, accusing it of "continuing the acts of genocide that the Kurds have faced throughout history" due to delays in sending the Kurdistan Region's (KRI) financial dues.
Abu Bakr, speaking at the inaugural session of the "Mesopotamia Forum" in al-Sulaymaniyah stated, "The federal government has not sent the Region its entitled dues for almost a decade. What is happening now is a punishment for the citizens of the Region, and if this approach continues, it means continuing the acts of genocide that the Kurds have faced over the ages."
He explained that the relation between Baghdad and the Region has a long history of struggle and sacrifices. However, what is currently affecting them is the failure to implement the constitution and resorting to it during disputes arising from its non-implementation. He stressed the necessity of "implementing the Iraqi constitution at all times."
Abu Bakr pointed out that "the federal government has not provided KRI with its required financial allocations for a decade, having cut all allocations to the Region in the past eight years. Instead of holding accountable those responsible, it punished the citizens in Kurdistan by cutting their salaries and the budgets for services, projects, and investment without holding the negligent parties accountable."
He viewed the current situation in the Region, if it persists in the current conditions of deprivation, salary cuts for employees, projects, and services, as, in their view, a continuation of the genocide faced by the citizens of KRI. He deemed this wholly unacceptable.
Al-Sulaymaniyah governor affirmed that "the Kurds had established institutional systems during the Ottoman era, even before the establishment of the Iraqi government in 1918. We had a parliament and a democratic process before Iraq. Therefore, our relationships must be comprehensive, and we must make the constitution the guarantor of citizens' rights and the guarantor of the country's stability."
Meanwhile, Bahar Mahmoud, the president of the Mesopotamia Foundation, mentioned during a press conference that "the forum will focus on discussing the relation between Baghdad and KRI, especially as we are at the end of the current year and heading towards a new year with a new budget that must guarantee the rights of everyone, including the Region's citizens."
Mahmoud added, "KRI has fulfilled its constitutional duties, but so far, the citizens of the Region are suffering from economic crises," noting, "Many meetings and conferences have been held in the past period, but what distinguishes this forum is our attempt to present the real picture of the Region's reality and to understand everyone's perspective to propose solutions that we hope the relevant authorities will consider."
