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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday announced that more than 350 billion dinars will be allocated to investment projects in the Kurdistan Region Government’s (KRG) 2021 budget, despite having yet to strike a deal with Baghdad to receive federal money.
“In parallel to continued budget talks with Baghdad, we’ve appropriated more than 350bn IQD in the KRG 2021 budget for investment projects across all four provinces,” tweeted Barzani.
The decision was welcomed by top Kurdish officials.
“This is an important and practical step, and serves as the economic decentralization that has been asked for,” Sulaimani province governor Haval Abubakir told Rudaw’s Shaho Amin on Tuesday. “The market will bloom again, cash will flow back to the market, more people will work, and local products will be used more, as a result this becomes an achievement to the KRG.”
The decision by the premier comes at a time where Erbil is in negotiations with the federal government over the terms the Kurdistan Region will receive its share of the federal budget.
Budget disputes have been a source of long-standing tension between Erbil and Baghdad. A Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, has visited Baghdad multiple times to come to a deal on the 2021 federal budget, upon which the KRG is dependent on for its funds. However, no official agreement has been reached as of Wednesday.
Parliament will vote on the 2021 budget in the coming week, Iraq’s deputy parliamentary speaker Bashir Haddad told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on Wednesday.
Iraqi lawmakers have criticized the Kurdistan Region’s independent oil sales, with many wanting the federal government to have exclusive control of the resource.
Last month, more than 100 Iraqi MPs signed a letter asking that the 2021 budget bill oblige the Kurdistan Region to hand over all its oil to the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) in exchange for federal funds.
“At first, all Shiite parties were opposing the Kurdistan Region receiving its share and asked the KRG to hand over all its oil, however, now only Nouri al-Maliki’s factions and a few other Shiite parties are insisting on this,” Iraqi parliament’s finance committee member Jamal Kochar told Rudaw English on Monday. “While there could be a majority without these factions, passing the bill would cause instability without their collaboration.”
“In parallel to continued budget talks with Baghdad, we’ve appropriated more than 350bn IQD in the KRG 2021 budget for investment projects across all four provinces,” tweeted Barzani.
The decision was welcomed by top Kurdish officials.
“This is an important and practical step, and serves as the economic decentralization that has been asked for,” Sulaimani province governor Haval Abubakir told Rudaw’s Shaho Amin on Tuesday. “The market will bloom again, cash will flow back to the market, more people will work, and local products will be used more, as a result this becomes an achievement to the KRG.”
The decision by the premier comes at a time where Erbil is in negotiations with the federal government over the terms the Kurdistan Region will receive its share of the federal budget.
Budget disputes have been a source of long-standing tension between Erbil and Baghdad. A Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, has visited Baghdad multiple times to come to a deal on the 2021 federal budget, upon which the KRG is dependent on for its funds. However, no official agreement has been reached as of Wednesday.
Parliament will vote on the 2021 budget in the coming week, Iraq’s deputy parliamentary speaker Bashir Haddad told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on Wednesday.
Iraqi lawmakers have criticized the Kurdistan Region’s independent oil sales, with many wanting the federal government to have exclusive control of the resource.
Last month, more than 100 Iraqi MPs signed a letter asking that the 2021 budget bill oblige the Kurdistan Region to hand over all its oil to the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) in exchange for federal funds.
“At first, all Shiite parties were opposing the Kurdistan Region receiving its share and asked the KRG to hand over all its oil, however, now only Nouri al-Maliki’s factions and a few other Shiite parties are insisting on this,” Iraqi parliament’s finance committee member Jamal Kochar told Rudaw English on Monday. “While there could be a majority without these factions, passing the bill would cause instability without their collaboration.”
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