Masrour Barzani Urges Baghdad to Release Salaries, Warns Against Political Pressure

Peregraf

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has called on the Iraqi federal government to disburse public sector salaries without further delay, warning against the politicization of the issue. His remarks came during a press conference in Duhok amid an ongoing dispute between Erbil and Baghdad over financial entitlements and oil exports.

“We hope the federal government will not exploit the salary issue as a political tool or a means of pressuring the Kurdistan Region,” Barzani stated. “We expect the salaries to be paid as soon as possible, and we are awaiting action.”

Barzani emphasized that the KRG has met all its obligations and placed the responsibility for the delay firmly on Baghdad. “The KRG has fulfilled all its commitments, and we now expect the federal government to step forward and fulfill theirs,” he said.

The delay in salary payments highlights ongoing tensions between the two governments. Although May is well underway, the KRG has not yet distributed April salaries due to a standoff with Iraq’s Ministry of Finance, which has expressed dissatisfaction with the volume and accuracy of non-oil revenues reported by the Kurdistan Region.

Last week, a federal audit team returned to Erbil to examine the KRG’s revenue and expenditure records. KRG Finance Minister Awat Sheikh Janab met with the delegation—comprised of officials from both the Iraqi Federal Board of Supreme Audit and the KRG—to compile a detailed report on financial activity for the first quarter of 2025.

A senior source in Baghdad told Peregraf that neither Federal Finance Minister Taif Sami nor Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani has approved the release of April salaries, citing concerns that only around half of the Kurdistan Region’s actual non-oil revenues are being transferred to Baghdad.

In response, the KRG reaffirmed its full cooperation with the audit and released the following data on non-oil revenue transfers:

• January: 51.9 billion IQD

• February: 48.7 billion IQD

• March: 48.2 billion IQD

Complicating the issue further are unresolved disputes over the resumption of Kurdish oil exports. According to sources, Prime Minister Al-Sudani is reluctant to approve salary disbursements without tangible progress on restarting exports—suspended amid legal and contractual disputes with international oil firms.

Sabah Subhi, Deputy Chairman of Iraq’s Parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee, confirmed that a KRG delegation is in Baghdad for negotiations. He said a technical committee will be formed with the Ministry of Oil to address outstanding challenges related to export logistics and agreements.

Meanwhile, the delay is placing growing financial strain on public sector employees across the Kurdistan Region. A boycott in Sulaymaniyah has already begun, and observers warn it could signal the start of wider labor actions if the deadlock continues.