Iraqi Cabinet to Discuss Kurdistan Salaries, Oil Shipments in Urgent Sunday Meeting

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iraq’s Council of Ministers is set to convene an urgent meeting on Sunday to address key issues dividing Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including the payment of public sector salaries and the resumption of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region, a government source told Kurdistan24.

The meeting will also review two reports prepared by Iraq’s Ministry of Finance and the Federal Board of Supreme Audit on the KRG’s financial entitlements. According to Kurdistan24 sources, Kurdish ministers are expected to press Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and Finance Minister Taif Sami to authorize the disbursement of July salaries for KRG civil servants.

If approved, the KRG would transfer 120 billion Iraqi dinars from its non-oil revenues for July to the Iraqi Ministry of Finance. According to Kurdistan24 correspondent in Baghdad, the main sticking point between Erbil and Baghdad remains revenue sharing: Baghdad insists on receiving 50% of all KRG non-oil revenues, while the KRG has offered to hand over 50% of revenues collected from government departments only.

Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region are also on the agenda. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani announced earlier that the flow of Kurdish crude would resume soon, though no exact date has been given.

Sunday’s meeting was brought forward due to the upcoming Shiite Arbaeen pilgrimage, which will see many government offices in Iraq closed from Monday through the following week. The source indicated that this urgency makes it more likely that a decision on KRG salary payments will be made during the session.

Kurdistan24's correspondent in Baghdad, Dilan Barzan, contributed to this report.