KRG Spokesman: Iraqi Delegation for budget talks Visiting Erbil Within Days
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani is spending several days in Duhok meeting all segments of society and administrative units, has formed a special committee to follow up on all demands raised by Duhok's communities, and will remain in the region for several more days
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - KRG Government Spokesman Peshawa Hawrami told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday that a KRG delegation is currently in Baghdad engaged in intensive talks with Iraqi Finance Ministry officials to secure the financial rights and entitlements of the people of the Kurdistan Region in the draft 2027 general budget law, and that an Iraqi federal government delegation will visit Erbil within one to two days to meet Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on the same issue.
"A KRG delegation is currently in Baghdad and in intensive discussions with Iraqi Finance Ministry officials to establish the financial and legitimate rights of the people of the Kurdistan Region within the draft 2027 general budget law," Hawrami said, adding that the current draft budget does not meet the Kurdistan Region's expectations and rights as required, which is why the negotiating delegation is pressing for the necessary amendments to reach a fair and reassuring outcome.
He confirmed that within one to two days, an Iraqi federal government delegation will visit Erbil and meet with Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to discuss the same budget file.
Prime Minister Barzani In Duhok
Hawrami also shed light on Barzani's ongoing field visit to the Badinan area, confirming that Barzani has been in Duhok for several days and will remain in the region for more days, to listen closely and carefully to the demands and concerns of all segments, classes, and different communities of the area.
Hawrami said the Prime Minister held a broad meeting today with the administrative units of Duhok Governorate, in which he stressed that the purpose of the visit is to be aware of the problems and needs of the area and to find the best mechanisms for providing better services to the people of the region.
The spokesman confirmed that Prime Minister Barzani decided to form a specialized committee to follow up on all the demands raised by Duhok's communities, classes, and administrative units, and gave assurances that the government will take those demands seriously and, with full capacity, will make every effort to implement them within the framework of its authorities and capabilities.
The Budget Context
The 2027 budget negotiations are taking place against a backdrop of an ongoing dispute between Erbil and Baghdad over the Kurdistan Region's budget share. The Region's share was reduced from 14.14 percent to 12.68 percent following the 2024 census, which counted approximately 500,000 Kurdistani citizens in disputed areas under federal sovereignty rather than under the Kurdistan Region's population count. The KRG has been demanding restoration of its 14.14 percent share in the 2027 budget and the correction of the census figures that led to the reduction.