Iraq and Kurdistan move closer to agreement on oil exports and salaries

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraqi and Kurdish governments made significant progress in resolving long-standing disputes over oil exports and public sector salaries, the Iraqi Ministry of Planning revealed on Tuesday.

According to a statement, Minister Mohammed Ali Tamim chaired a joint meeting in Baghdad with officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to review outstanding files between the two sides, including oil production and exports, non-oil revenues, and the unification of salary payments for employees under a ruling by the Federal Supreme Court.

The statement said that significant steps had been completed on the oil file, with all requirements in place to begin production and exports through Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO).

Talks are continuing on the remaining issues, particularly the mechanisms for managing revenues and finalizing the payroll system.

For years, Erbil and Baghdad have been at odds over the Kurdish Region’s independent oil sales and the payment of civil servant salaries, a dispute that has repeatedly strained relations and delayed federal budget transfers.