Iraqi Council of Ministers Approves June Salaries for Kurdistan Region Public Employees

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved the disbursement of June salaries for public employees in the Kurdistan Region.

During its regular session, the cabinet discussed issues related to the Region’s salaries and oil exports. A source present at the meeting told Kurdistan24 correspondent Dilan Barzan in Baghdad that the council directed Finance Minister Taif Sami to begin releasing the June salaries starting Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the joint committees from Baghdad and Erbil will continue their negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement on non-oil revenues and the export of oil from the Kurdistan Region.

The salary dispute has been one of the most contentious issues in the relations between Baghdad and Erbil. For years, delays and disagreements over budget transfers and oil revenues have led to recurring crises, leaving hundreds of thousands of public employees in the Kurdistan Region without regular salaries.

Oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline have been suspended since March 2023 following a ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) that halted independent Kurdish oil sales. Oil exports have long been a contentious issue between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government, impacting the region's economic stability and development.

The suspension has significantly affected the KRG's revenue, which heavily depends on oil exports. This has led to financial challenges for the region. Efforts to resolve the issue through negotiations between the KRG and the federal government are ongoing.