PM Barzani to Baghdad: Salary issue must be depoliticized

Shafaq News – Baghdad/Erbil

On Sunday, Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani agreed to isolate public sector salaries in the Kurdistan Region from political disputes with Baghdad, according to a KRG statement.

The meeting, held in Erbil, focused on financial disputes between the regional and federal governments, particularly delayed salary payments and budget transfers.

“The salary issue must be depoliticized,” the statement read, adding that unfair treatment of Kurdistan’s civil servants must end with an immediate resolution.

The Kurdistan Region has faced months-long delays in public sector salary payments due to budget disputes with Baghdad, following disagreements over oil revenues, fiscal entitlements, and the region’s autonomy in managing its finances.

The Iraqi government has cited legal and procedural concerns, while Kurdish officials accuse Baghdad of using salaries as political leverage.