KRG Council of Ministers discuss Kurdistan Region financial entitlements

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers on Wednesday held its weekly meeting, headed by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, to discuss several items, according to a KRG statement.

 The first item on the agenda related to the latest developments in the federal budget bill for 2023, 2024 and 2025 and the articles and clauses related to the Kurdistan Region's financial entitlements, including changes to Article 12, the statement added.

PM Barzani briefed the Ministers on the negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad that resulted in the agreement between the two governments on the basis of the constitution, as well as the approval of the financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Region. 

The Prime Minister explained that the Kurdistan Region had fulfilled all its obligations, and the Iraqi federal government must now fulfill its duty and provide the rights and financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Region, like other parts of Iraq, according to the statement.

Moreover, the Council of Ministers approved KRG Cabinet Secretary Amanj Raheem's proposal to send a letter to the Iraqi Council of Ministers to implement Article 13 of the Federal Financial Administration Law of 2019 to remit one-twelfth of the Kurdistan Region's operating expenditures.

The second item of discussion was the establishment of a mechanism to implement the decision of the previous Council meeting, regarding the reorganization of public finances. 

The Council of Ministers unanimously approved all the provisions of the decision, taking into account the amendments made by the Council of Ministers.

The Prime Minister and his Deputy Qubad Talabani stressed the importance of redefining the principles of public finance in the region towards the centralization of revenues and expenditures, as well as the centralization of salaries across the region.

At the end of the meeting, the draft bill of the KRG Ministry of Health was presented by Vala Fareed Ibrahim, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs. The bill aims to improve public health institutions and services.