KRG presses Baghdad to release delayed salaries, says obligations met

ERBIL — Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said Wednesday that Erbil has fulfilled its constitutional obligations and shown “every flexibility” in negotiations with Baghdad, stressing that the federal government must transfer public employee salaries without delay.

Despite mid-September passing, KRG employees have yet to receive their July and August wages, leaving the region’s public sector in limbo amid ongoing financial disputes with Baghdad.

“These issues should no longer stand in the way of disbursing the salaries of Kurdistan Region employees, which are their legal and valid right,” Barzani said in a statement following a cabinet meeting in Erbil.

The Council of Ministers reviewed oil exports, non-oil revenues, and financial entitlements, and said both sides had agreed in principle to implement previous commitments. Amanj Rahim, the council’s secretary, said a trilateral deal involving the federal Oil Ministry and SOMO was expected by the end of the week. Until then, the KRG will continue delivering its share of oil.

The council urged the federal Finance Ministry to immediately disburse the overdue July and August salaries in line with payments elsewhere in Iraq.

The standoff follows months of financial tension. In May, Baghdad froze transfers to the region, accusing Erbil of exceeding its budget allocation and withholding revenue data. Payments resumed in mid-July after a deal in which the KRG agreed to deliver 230,000 barrels per day of crude oil and remit 120 billion dinars in non-oil revenue. Funds for May and June were then released.