Peregraf — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) convened on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani after a period of suspension, deciding to prepare for negotiations with Iraq’s next federal government over the federal budget law.
As part of the talks, the KRG will demand the payment of seven months of unpaid public sector salaries that have accumulated over the past three years. The Kurdistan Region has not yet distributed salaries for November and December 2025.
Government spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani told reporters that the dispute extends beyond the two most recent months. "It is not only about November and December. Over the past three years, Baghdad has unfairly withheld seven months of salaries from the Kurdistan Region," he said.
Hawramani stressed that the issue will be a central component of the KRG’s negotiation paper with Baghdad on the budget law. "We will not waive this right and will demand the payment of all seven months of salaries," he added.
The Kurdistan Region’s monthly salary bill is estimated at around 950 billion Iraqi dinars. Under the oil and revenue-sharing agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, the federal government is responsible for transferring these funds. However, payments have frequently been delayed, contributing to the failure to disburse salaries for two months in 2025.
While the federal government maintains that it has transferred the full allocations for all months, it argues that when the KRG’s local revenues are taken into account, responsibility for covering the two unpaid months falls on the regional government.