KRG, Baghdad reach agreement to resolve key disputes
Shafaq News/ A green light has been signaled to resolve alloutstanding issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and thefederal government, sources revealed on Monday.
The sources told Shafaq News Agency that the unresolvedissues include the salaries of KRG employees, oil exports and their revenues,as well as future dealings under “clear, standardized” procedures forcalculating the state's financial resources based on official disclosures.
The sources added that “an initial agreement on oilextraction and exports is expected to be reached, ensuring that the exportprocess and its revenues are conducted in accordance with the procedures of theState Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and market-approved pricing.”
The agreement, however, will not take effect until it isdiscussed and voted on during the weekly Cabinet meeting, the sources noted.
A KRG delegation, headed by Minister of Finance and Economy,Awat Sheikh Janab, arrived in Baghdad late Sunday to negotiate solutions to theongoing salary crisis in the Kurdistan region.
Notably, the dispute between Baghdad and the KRG began in2014 over oil resource management and budget allocations.
In February 2024, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court orderedBaghdad to directly pay KRG employee salaries after prolonged delays.
In November 2024, the salaries issues were exacerbated whenIraq's cabinet ordered the KRG to immediately transfer its oil output to SOMOas part of an effort to centralize oil exports and revenue management.
