Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani chairs the Council of Ministers’ weekly meeting in Erbil on July 30, 2025
KRG urges Baghdad to release salaries for June and July, says obligations met
ERBIL — The Kurdistan Regional Government on Wednesday urged the federal government in Baghdad to release public employee salaries for June and July, saying it had submitted all required documents, including payroll records and a jointly audited financial review ledger.
The appeal followed the KRG Council of Ministers’ weekly meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani. The council reviewed ongoing coordination with Baghdad on salary disbursements, oil exports, and revenue classification.
Finance Minister Awat Sheikh Janab presented a report outlining the region’s revenue streams and said the data was submitted monthly to the federal Ministry of Finance as part of the financial review process. The KRG said June salary records had already been delivered and called on Baghdad to fulfill its responsibility.
The council praised the finance ministry, audit teams, and negotiating delegation for their efforts and approved a revenue classification proposal meant to align with Iraq’s legal and constitutional framework.
On oil exports, Acting Minister of Natural Resources Kamal Salih said current output designated for export would be delivered to the federal State Oil Marketing Organization for shipment through Turkey’s Ceyhan port. The KRG will compensate local oil companies for volumes used domestically, based on a joint cabinet decision.
At the meeting’s close, the KRG reaffirmed its commitment to the agreement with Baghdad and called for the Kurdistan Region’s public servants to receive their pay “just like their counterparts in the rest of Iraq.”
The appeal comes amid an ongoing budget dispute between the two sides. In May, Baghdad halted budget transfers and salary payments to the region, accusing the KRG of exceeding its 2025 allocation and failing to provide sufficient revenue data. The KRG rejected the claims.
A deal was reached in mid-July under which the KRG agreed to deliver 230,000 barrels per day of crude oil and remit 120 billion dinars in non-oil revenue. Payments then resumed, with funds sent for May and additional transfers initiated through July 27, according to both governments.