ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) delegation has reached a preliminary agreement with the federal government regarding the 2023 Iraqi budget bill, a member of the delegation said on Sunday. The head of the Diwan of the Kurdistan Region’s council of ministers in a Facebook post said that the KRG delegation had met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday. “We reached a preliminary agreement on the 2023 budget bill and there was good understanding between both sides,” Omed Sabah said. According to a statement from the Kurdistan Region’s ministry of finance, both sides discussed the Region’s share of the federal budget in the meeting. The budget has been a frequent point of contention between Erbil and Baghdad, especially after the Kurdistan Region's decision to sell its oil through Turkey. Almost two years after Iraq passed its last budget law, Erbil and Baghdad remain in disagreement over several key issues. Kurdish government delegations have traveled to Baghdad on several occasions to reach common ground with the Iraqi government, however, they have yet to reach a resolution on all disagreements. The Region has over the past year been rocked by two waves of major Iraqi Federal Supreme Court rulings against its finances, with the top court first ruling last February against the Region’s ability to administer its oil and gas sector and almost a year later in January ruling against the payment of the Region’s financial entitlements to Baghdad, claiming it violates the 2021 Iraqi Budget Law. The US ambassador to Iraq on Tuesday praised the KRG’s delegation visit to Baghdad, adding that the resolution of issues serves Iraq’s national interest and regional stability.
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