KRG about to reach agreement with Iraqi government on security forces' salaries, says KRG Minister of Finance
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Finance and Economy Awat Janab Noori, on Saturday said that "we are about to reach an agreement with the Iraqi government on the salaries of the security forces."
“In the past, there have been numerous interpretations of civil servants' salaries, some of which were false and driven by populism,” the minister added.
Noori further explained that a political situation has been developing against the Kurdistan Region since 2012.
"During our discussions with Baghdad, we have stressed the importance of treating the civil servants of the Kurdistan Region in the same way as all other civil servants in Iraq," he stressed.
He also stated that Iraq has implemented a new approach in terms of expenditures, which prevents the Kurdistan Region from advancing at a faster pace compared to other regions in Iraq.
Meanwhile, he mentioned that during Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's recent visit to Baghdad, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, it became evident that actual expenditure has become a hindrance to the budget and is causing disruptions in Iraq. “They openly expressed their inability to send the Kurdistan Region's current share of 67%.”
He noted that the Iraqi government had sent a sum of money to the Kurdistan Region. "However, it is important to highlight that Kurdish society and civil servants are divided into two groups. It is worth noting that over 350,000 civil servants in the Kurdistan Region have not yet been included in the list to receive salaries."
Furthermore, he pointed out that the number of civil servants in the Kurdistan Region is significantly lower than the number of civil servants in Iraq, with figures of approximately 16% and 38% respectively.
“Iraq has set fire to Kurdish homes, but the Kurds must prevent the spread of the fire with wisdom, calmness, and patience,” the minister underscored.
He emphasized that the Iraqi budget does not specify the exact number of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the final count remains unknown.
“The PMF does not receive money from the Iraqi Ministry of Finance, but rather from the Office of the Council of Ministers,” Noori revealed.
Regarding the MyAccount initiative, he underlined that the MyAccount initiative is not only more advanced but also significantly cheaper than the Iraqi banking system.