KRG delegation arrives in Baghdad for salaries, budget talks

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A delegation of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) led by Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Finance and Economy Awat Janab Noori has arrived in Baghdad to discuss salaries and budget issues, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

Among other topics of discussion at the meeting are the Peshmerga and Kurdistan Region security salaries.

Muhammed Abdulqadir, Director General of Accounting at the Ministry of Finance, told Kurdistan24 that the March salary list would be sent to Baghdad in two ways. However, the second list of March salaries will be prepared and sent within 20 days.

The Iraqi Ministry of Finance has so far only sent salaries for December and February this year to the Kurdistan Region.

Previously, Narmin Ma'roof, a member of the Iraqi Parliament's Finance Committee, told Kurdistan24 that procedures for sending Kurdistan Region civil servant salaries for March will be will be like those of February.

In the absence of paying the Kurdish share of the federal budget, the Iraqi government has released several payments as loans to Erbil for it to be able to pay its civil servants.

Since its adoption in early June, KRG diplomats have alleged the budget has not been implemented properly by the government. Instead of paying the Kurdish share, they allege Baghdad has released allowances to Erbil to cover public salaries.

Hailed as one of the country’s biggest budgets, state expenditures were set at 198.91 trillion Iraqi dinars ($153 billion), with a deficit of more than 64 trillion dinars (over $48 billion).