Kurdistan President stresses non-politicization of employee salaries, announces upcoming visit to Baghdad
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, emphasized the importance of avoiding the entanglement of employee salaries and public sector wages in political conflicts.
President Barzani made these remarks during a statement to reporters on the sidelines of his meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, who is currently visiting Erbil.
He also announced plans for himself and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to visit Baghdad at an "appropriate time" to address ongoing disputes and unresolved issues between Erbil and Baghdad.
Barzani underlined that the differences between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government extended beyond salary matters, highlighting the significance of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution and its implementation and the importance of the Sinjar Agreement.
The President emphasized that the fundamental issue revolves around whether Iraq's system is federal or central, expressing hope that, through collaboration with Baghdad, a shared understanding can be reached regarding Iraq's federal system.
Tensions persist between Baghdad and Erbil; besides employees' salaries, the main disagreement concerns oil and gas policies. The two sides have not agreed on a unified oil and gas approach. Additionally, territorial disputes, including the status of Kirkuk and the Nineveh Plains, remain unresolved.
Regarding the Peshmerga, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has resisted placing the Kurdish armed forces under the command of the Iraqi army. The KRG asserts the need to maintain its own military forces for security purposes.
