KRG Council of Ministers discuss Iraqi budget law and Crimean-Congo fever

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

In the first item of the meeting, the Prime Minister highlighted the developments related to the adoption of the Iraqi budget law and its consequences for the Kurdistan Region.

PM Barzani said that the Kurdistan Region has fulfilled all its duties and responsibilities within the framework of the constitution and the agreements signed between Baghdad and Iraq.

The Council of Ministers calls on the Iraqi government to review the amended budget articles after they are implemented, as promised by the Iraqi Prime Minister.

The Ministers reject any discriminatory measures against the Kurdistan Region because it has fulfilled its constitutional obligations, especially on oil issues. Accordingly, the Iraqi government must implement the budget law and send all of the Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements, especially the monthly salaries of employees, pensioners, and the Peshmerga forces.

In the second item of the meeting, Vala Fareed, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, discussed the draft bills and regulations that have not yet been voted on in the Council of Ministers meetings.

In the third item of the meeting, the reactivation of the Committee for the Implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution in the Iraqi Council of Ministers was discussed. Additionally, the implementation of Decision No. 29 of 2012 on the cancellation of the Northern Affairs Committee decisions, relating to Kirkuk’s agricultural lands, was discussed

The Council of Ministers instructed the ministerial committee to follow up the implementation of Article 140 of the constitution headed by the KRG Interior Minister in coordination with the Kurdish factions in the Iraqi Council of Ministers and House of Representatives.

In the fourth item of the meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Health discussed preventative measures against Crimean-Congo fever. In this regard, Dara Rashid, Acting Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, and Saman Barzanji, Minister of Health, presented two separate reports, which included safety measures during the Eid al-Adha holiday. 

The Council of Ministers also called on Kurdistan Region citizens to comply with these guidelines, especially when performing religious duties.