Parliament and KRG’s Baghdad negotiating team discuss Iraq’s decision to halt Kurdistan’s share of budget
Kurdistan Parliament MPs on 26 April met with the Kurdistan Regional Government’s delegation for negotiations with the Iraqi Federal Government. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami, with the participation of Secretary Muna Kahveci and the heads of the parliamentary blocks. KRG Minister for Finance and the Economy, Awat Sheikh Janab, led the negotiating team.
Deputy Speaker Hawrami said, “The Kurdistan Parliament supports the KRG’s strategy of reaching mutual understanding and agreement with the Iraqi Federal Government through dialogue to secure Kurdistan’s financial rights.”
The Deputy Speaker added that Parliament awaits the implementation of the recently passed Reform Law of the Kurdistan Region – Iraq, and will carry out its duty to follow up and scrutinize its implementation.
The KRG negotiating team said that the Coronavirus has led to a significant fall in the oil price, which will be detrimental to Kurdistan’s economy.
Finance Minister Janab said that in December 2019 in their talks with Baghdad, the KRG stated that it would deliver all of its oil export to the Iraqi Federal Government, on condition that Baghdad paid Kurdistan Region all of its financial rights.
The delegation said that earlier this month on 16 April, the General Secretariat of the Iraqi Council of Ministers issued a decision through a letter to halt Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget. Minister Janab said that the KRG has formally written to the Iraqi Prime Minister to demand that Kurdistan’s financial rights be fulfilled, and hopes for a positive response.
Cutting Kurdistan’s budget is an attempt to destroy the will and lives of the people of Kurdistan, the negotiating team said, as the KRG had acted throughout with goodwill to work with Baghdad.
The heads of the parliamentary blocks asked about public employees’ salaries and how the KRG’s revenue could help to pay the salaries.
The negotiating team added that the KRG coalition government works as one team to face crises, to seize every opportunity to benefit Kurdistan, and works in the interests of the people of Kurdistan.
Deputy Speaker Hawrami and the KRG negotiating team held a press conference after the meeting.
