Baghdad deposits nearly one trillion dinars into the financial account of the Kurdistan region to fund public sector salaries.
The Ministry of Finance and Economy of the Kurdistan Region announced on Tuesday that the funds allocated for public sector salaries for the month of April have been deposited into its bank account, paving the way for disbursement in the coming days.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry and reviewed by Shafaq News Agency, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, an amount of 959,514,000,000 IQD (nine hundred fifty-nine billion five hundred fourteen million dinars) was transferred to the Ministry's bank account.
The statement clarified that the funds are intended for the salaries of employees, workers, and individuals with fixed incomes in the Kurdistan region and were deposited in the Ministry's account at the Erbil branch of the Central Bank of Iraq.
It is expected that the relevant authorities of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will soon begin to schedule salary disbursements, as public employees await distribution following the official confirmation of the transfer.
Last Sunday, the Prime Minister of the KRG, Masrour Barzani, stated that his government had fulfilled all its obligations to the federal government and expressed hope that Baghdad would reciprocate, particularly by releasing public sector salaries.
In statements to reporters during his visit to Duhok to inspect the 'Ronaki' project, Barzani stated: 'The Kurdistan Regional Government has fulfilled its responsibilities to the federal government, and we hope that Baghdad will also fulfill its duties and not use the salary issue as a tool for political pressure against the region.'
For years, the salary issue in the Kurdistan region has remained unresolved, caught in a constant tug-of-war with the federal government. Each year, the debate resurfaces during the federal budget approval process, which generally conditions the region's participation on certain commitments, the main one being the delivery of oil revenues. However, in the last two years, since the cessation of oil exports through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, the federal government has treated public salaries as 'advances' rather than full budget allocations.
In February of this year, the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq ruled that the federal government must directly pay the salaries of employees in the Kurdistan region without transferring funds through the regional government, following months of salary delays.
Shafaq News
