KRG Delegation to Discuss Financial Disputes with Iraqi Finance Minister

"The primary agenda for this meeting is to address the salary delays for KRG employees and discuss proposed amendments to the Iraqi general budget by the KRG."

Kurdistan Region Government (KRG), (L), and Iraqi Government, (R), logos. (Graphic: Designed by Kurdistan24).
Kurdistan Region Government (KRG), (L), and Iraqi Government, (R), logos. (Graphic: Designed by Kurdistan24).

Jan. 19, 2025

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is set to meet with Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami on Monday to discuss unresolved financial issues with the central government of Baghdad.

"The primary agenda for this meeting is to address the salary delays for KRG employees and discuss proposed amendments to the Iraqi general budget by the KRG," a Kurdistan 24 correspondent reported. 

According to Kurdistan24 correspondent, the KRG delegation includes Awat Janab Noori, Minister of Finance; Dr. Omed Sabah, Diwan Chairman at the KRG Council of Ministers; and Amnaj Raheem, Secretary of the KRG Council of Ministers.

On January 11, the KRG cabinet convened an extraordinary meeting to deliberate on these financial disputes. Following the session, KRG Spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani issued a strong statement indicating that the treatment of the Kurdistan Region's civil servants in 2024 "will no longer be tolerated," hinting at potential significant shifts in relations between Erbil and Baghdad.

Read More: ‘2024's Treatment of Regional Civil Servants Must Not Be Repeated’ KRG Spox.

Safeen Dizayee, Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), reaffirmed on Thursday that the KRG has met all its obligations towards the federal government. 

"Baghdad is politicizing the salary issue as a leverage against public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region," Dizayee remarked after a roundtable discussion with representatives of diplomatic missions in the Kurdistan Region, including the U.S. Consulate in Erbil.

Read More: ‘KRG Reaffirms Commitment to Agreements with Baghdad’ KRG Official

The ongoing disputes between the KRG and the federal government of Iraq continue to shape diplomatic and economic conversations, especially concerning the implementation of agreements related to budget allocations and oil exports. Tensions have been particularly evident over the distribution of salaries to public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region, which the KRG argues has been politicized by Baghdad.