Sema
“We hope the federal government will uphold its responsibilities just as we have,” PM Barzani said, calling on Baghdad not to turn the salary issue into a political matter or use it as pressure against the Region.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday reiterated that his government has fully met its obligations regarding public sector salaries and urged the federal government in Baghdad not to politicize the issue or use it as leverage against the Kurdish region.
Speaking to local media in Duhok, Barzani addressed growing concerns over the delayed salary payments for April, emphasizing that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has done its part. “We have remained committed to securing the rights of the people of the Kurdistan Region,” he said. “I thank our civil servants and citizens for their continued patience, but they must understand the federal government has yet to release April’s salaries.”
Barzani stressed that the KRG had already submitted the salary lists for April to Baghdad on April 22, over 20 days ago, but the Ministry of Finance in Baghdad had still not transferred the funds. “We hope the federal government will uphold its responsibilities just as we have,” he said, calling on Baghdad not to turn the salary issue into a political matter or use it as pressure against the Region.
He added, “Public salaries should never become a political tool. This is about the livelihood of families, not political bargaining.”
The Prime Minister’s comments come amid a nearly seven-week delay in the federal government’s disbursement of April salaries for the Kurdistan Region’s public employees, despite the fact that the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Finance submitted all technical documentation and payroll data weeks ago.
On the same day, the Kurdistan Region’s non-oil revenues for March of this year—amounting to 48 billion, 205 million, and 765 thousand dinars—were deducted and deposited into the federal government’s Ministry of Finance account at the Erbil branch of the Central Bank of Iraq. Despite all these financial commitments by the KRG, the federal government has yet to fulfill its obligation to send the salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants for April.
Disputes over salary payments and oil revenue transfers have long plagued relations between Erbil and Baghdad. Under recent budget agreements, the KRG is expected to contribute oil and non-oil revenues to the federal treasury in exchange for its share of the national budget, including public sector salaries. However, delays in disbursement from Baghdad have become a recurring issue, often used as a political weapon against the KRG
The KRG has regularly called on the federal government to honor its financial commitments and avoid turning salary disbursements into a means of exerting political pressure. For many in the Kurdistan Region, these delays are not only a financial burden but also a challenge to regional stability and trust in Baghdad’s willingness to implement budget agreements fairly.
Barzani concluded his remarks with a call for urgent resolution: “We are waiting, and we hope the matter is resolved as quickly as possible.”