ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is set to arrive in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss a range of issues with the Iraqi authorities, including salary dispute and the resumption of the Region’s oil exports, the Kurdistan Region Presidency spokesperson said on Thursday.
Dilshad Shahab told Rudaw that President Barzani will hold several meetings with the federal authorities during his visit to Baghdad on Saturday, adding that the Region’s share in the federal budget, the payment of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s public employees and restart of the Kurdish oil exports will dominate the talks.
“While in Baghdad, Nechirvan Barzani will emphasize the points mentioned in the Coordination Framework agreement, on which the [federal] government was formed. They had promised to implement them [points] but they were not implemented,” he noted.
President Barzani seeks “strong, healthy and good ties between Erbil and Baghdad,” the spokesperson stressed.
On Wednesday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said an “appropriate” solution was found to the issue of paying salaries of civil servants with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.
President Barzani will also meet with Sudani during his trip.
Erbil and Baghdad have been at odds on many issues for years, primarily on fiscal woes and the Kurdish region’s independent export of oil.
The KRG has failed to pay the salaries of its civil servants on time and in full for a decade due to a financial crisis which deteriorated when a ruling by a Paris-based arbitration court suspended its export of oil to the international markets a year ago. The Kurdish government now relies on local income and its controversial share from the federal budget. The KRG paid nine salaries of public employees last year and has paid only one salary this year.
The cash-strapped KRG has repeatedly accused Baghdad of not making regular payments of its share of federal funds. Last June, Iraq passed a three-year budget of which the Kurdistan Region's share is 12.6 percent. Baghdad has claimed it has fully implemented its financial obligations to the KRG, including through loans to assist the Region in paying the salaries of its civil servants.
Iraq’s finance ministry on Thursday said it has begun sending the salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants for the month of March.
EU Ambassador to Iraq Thomas Seiler commended the move following the federal finance ministry’s statement.
“We do believe that such agreements contribute to the stability of KRI and Iraq in general. The EU will keep on calling on all actors to find mutually acceptable solutions,” he said.
Dilshad Shahab told Rudaw that President Barzani will hold several meetings with the federal authorities during his visit to Baghdad on Saturday, adding that the Region’s share in the federal budget, the payment of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s public employees and restart of the Kurdish oil exports will dominate the talks.
“While in Baghdad, Nechirvan Barzani will emphasize the points mentioned in the Coordination Framework agreement, on which the [federal] government was formed. They had promised to implement them [points] but they were not implemented,” he noted.
President Barzani seeks “strong, healthy and good ties between Erbil and Baghdad,” the spokesperson stressed.
On Wednesday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said an “appropriate” solution was found to the issue of paying salaries of civil servants with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.
President Barzani will also meet with Sudani during his trip.
Erbil and Baghdad have been at odds on many issues for years, primarily on fiscal woes and the Kurdish region’s independent export of oil.
The KRG has failed to pay the salaries of its civil servants on time and in full for a decade due to a financial crisis which deteriorated when a ruling by a Paris-based arbitration court suspended its export of oil to the international markets a year ago. The Kurdish government now relies on local income and its controversial share from the federal budget. The KRG paid nine salaries of public employees last year and has paid only one salary this year.
The cash-strapped KRG has repeatedly accused Baghdad of not making regular payments of its share of federal funds. Last June, Iraq passed a three-year budget of which the Kurdistan Region's share is 12.6 percent. Baghdad has claimed it has fully implemented its financial obligations to the KRG, including through loans to assist the Region in paying the salaries of its civil servants.
Iraq’s finance ministry on Thursday said it has begun sending the salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants for the month of March.
EU Ambassador to Iraq Thomas Seiler commended the move following the federal finance ministry’s statement.
“We do believe that such agreements contribute to the stability of KRI and Iraq in general. The EU will keep on calling on all actors to find mutually acceptable solutions,” he said.
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