KRG guarantees 2025 salaries, boosts financial stability

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the KurdistanRegional Government (KRG) approved key financial measures toguarantee uninterrupted salary payments for public sector employees throughout2025.
The decisions were made during a cabinet meeting,chaired by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and attended by Deputy Prime MinisterQubad Talabani and other senior officials.
At the meeting, Minister of Finance andEconomy Awat Sheikh Janab presented a detailed report outlining the financialagreement between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s Federal Finance Ministries.The Council of Ministers unanimously endorsed the proposals, removing anytechnical obstacles that could disrupt salary distribution.
PM Barzani expressed appreciation for publicemployees' patience amid financial uncertainties and reaffirmed thegovernment’s commitment to ensuring salary security. He also acknowledged therole of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Kurdistan’s PresidentNechirvan Barzani, and other officials in finalizing the budget agreement.
Discussions also covered amendments to theFederal General Budget Law, particularly Article 12 concerning Kurdistan’s oilexports. Acting Minister of Natural Resources Kamal Mohammed Saleh outlined theimplications of the amendment, which will facilitate the resumption of haltedoil exports.
The Council emphasized continued coordinationwith Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, the State Organization for Marketing of Oil(SOMO), and international oil companies to restore exports, a move expected toboost regional revenues and enhance financial coordination with Baghdad.
To improve financial administration, the KRG advanced its digital payrollinitiative, which was successfully piloted in January. Hiwa Afandi, Head of theInformation Technology Department, reported that the system will enhancetransparency and efficiency in salary distribution across governmentinstitutions.
Additionally, the Council decided to transfer pension administration forPeshmerga forces, internal security personnel, and families of martyrs and al-Anfalvictims to the General Directorate of Retirement under the Ministry of Financeand Economy.
In a final decision, the KRG approved measures to optimize local revenuemanagement, instructing the Ministry of Finance and Economy to transfer thedesignated portion of Federal Treasury revenues for February 2025 to theFederal Ministry of Finance’s account in the coming days.