Kurdistan Region Employees’ Salaries ‘Will Not Be Missed,’ Baghdad Assures Erbil

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - As political meetings intensified in Baghdad on Saturday, officials from both Erbil and the Iraqi federal government sought to project a message of coordination and stability, with salary payments for Kurdistan Region employees emerging as one of the central issues discussed behind closed doors.

Faris Issa, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in Baghdad, told Kurdistan24 on Saturday, that Iraqi officials had assured the Kurdistan Region delegation that employee salaries would continue without interruption.

“We were promised that no salary would be lost and that they would cooperate with us,” Issa said while commenting on the meetings held by the KRG delegation headed by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

According to Issa, Prime Minister Barzani’s first meeting in Baghdad was held with Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi.

He described the discussions between the Kurdistan Region delegation and Iraqi federal officials as “very positive” and said they were conducted in a “brotherly spirit.”

Issa also noted that the Iraqi prime minister stressed that the salary issue should not be linked to political disputes, reaffirming Baghdad’s commitment to separating public employees’ livelihoods from ongoing political disagreements.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani arrived in Baghdad on an official visit earlier on Saturday and is expected to remain in the Iraqi capital until Sunday.

So far, Prime Minister Barzani has met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi, and several other Iraqi officials, while additional high-level meetings are scheduled during the visit.

The meetings are focused on political coordination, relations between Erbil and Baghdad, and discussions surrounding key national and regional issues.