KRG in talks with Baghdad to transfer and equalize Kurdistan martyrs’ payments

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government of Iraq are close to reaching an agreement which will urge Baghdad to financially shoulder the salary budget of the Kurdistan Region’s martyrs and equalize their entitlements with the Iraqi ones, a Kurdish official said on Wednesday.

The comment came during a presser by the KRG Minister of Martyrs and Anfal, Mahmoud Haji Salih, in Erbil.

He stated that the expected deal also includes the salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s political prisoners, who were jailed and suffered under the pre-2003 governments of Iraq.

“Delegations from the Iraqi Martyrs Foundation and Iraqi government visited the Kurdistan Region during the anniversary of the Halabja chemical attack a few months ago, and we discuss the subject in detail,” Salih said.

He mentioned that both sides had since held a number of meetings about it in Erbil and Baghdad.

According to the Kurdish minister, there are issues related to the laws regarding martyrs in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

“We have formed a joint committee to work on amending the law. We are working to match the salaries and entitlements to the ones in Baghdad, as theirs are currently superior and better,” Salih added.

He said Iraqi delegates had initially approved the agreement, but it “needs more work” before a final approval is issued by the Iraqi Council of Ministers.

The salaries and entitlements of the Kurdistan Region’s martyrs could either be distributed directly from the Finance and Economy Ministry of Iraq or be added to the federal budget share of the Kurdistan Region, the minister stated.

The Kurdish autonomous region has over 70,000 registered martyrs and political prisoners, who receive monthly payments from the KRG. The KRG pays half of what the Iraqi government pays to martyrs under its administration due to the limited budget of the Kurdistan Region.

Salih also mentioned that, annually, the KRG spends around IQD 17 billion (US $14.2 million) for the education fee of the children of martyrs.

Editing by Nadia Riva