KRG cabinet meets with federal Kurdish MPs, ministers to discuss ongoing salary delays

ERBIL — A meeting of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Council of Ministers with Kurdish parliamentary bloc leaders in Baghdad and Kurdish officials in Iraqi government was conducted on Saturday in Erbil.

Several pressing issues remain unresolved between Erbil and Baghdad, including, the delayed payment of December 2024 salaries for Kurdistan Region’s public sector employees, and the suspension of Kurdistan’s oil exports since March 2023.

The meeting included the KRG prime minister, deputy prime minister, and cabinet ministers, aiming to discuss the ongoing salary crisis and Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements from Baghdad with Kurdish parliamentary representatives.

However, a day prior to the meeting, both the Kurdistan Islamic Union and the Justice Group announced through their media channels that they would not participate in the meeting, declaring their boycott.

During the meeting, the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has called for unity among political parties while condemning what he described as “oppressive behavior from Baghdad against Kurdistan’s people.”

According to a KRG statement, during today’s “extraordinary cabinet meeting,” Prime Minister Barzani stated, “Kurdistan people must be freed from this psychologically distressing situation.”

“The relationship between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq must be rectified,” Barzani added. “We are demanding our constitutional rights from Baghdad. The people of Kurdistan do not deserve this oppression and injustice being perpetrated against them.”

PM Barzani urged Kurdish political parties to maintain a unified stance towards Baghdad, declaring that “Baghdad’s behavior towards the Kurdistan Region is unacceptable.”

The meeting, which lasted over four hours in Erbil, resulted in several decisions. Kurdish representatives in Baghdad were tasked with “conveying the KRG’s message to the federal government,” said KRG spokesman Peshawa Hawramani in a press conference following the meeting.

Among the crucial demands is a “guarantee” for Kurdistan Region public employees’ salaries in 2025 “without complications”.

Hawramani warned that Kurdistan would “announce its position” if these issues remain unresolved. Looking ahead to 2026, he emphasized that the Kurdistan Region should not have to request salaries, stating, “The Iraqi government must send the budget directly. Kurdistan Region should not be treated as a mere governorate, and its people should not face discrimination.”