Peregraf
Bafel Talabani, President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has credited Kurdish unity for the recent salary agreement with Baghdad and reaffirmed his party’s commitment to forming a new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet ahead of Iraq’s national elections.
Speaking during a meeting with Yann Braem, the French Consul General in the Kurdistan Region, Tlabani said the agreement on salary payments and fund transfers from Baghdad was the result of “the effort and unity of the Kurdish internal house.” He underscored the PUK’s ongoing efforts to build a spirit of cooperation and genuine partnership in Kurdistan’s political landscape.
“For this reason, the PUK diligently works to create a foundation for togetherness and to protect a genuine partnership, the basis of which is safeguarding the rights of all, especially the people of Kurdistan, so that they are no longer sacrificed,” Talabani stated.
On the political front, Talabani emphasized the importance of forming a new KRG cabinet soon, declaring: “All our efforts are directed towards forming the new government before the Iraqi elections.”
He added, “We are steadfastly striving to achieve a strong and service-oriented government that will strengthen our region and better serve the public. We are confident that we will succeed in this mission for the sake of the public interest.”
In parallel, the KRG’s Ministry of Finance and Economy announced on Thursday, July 24, 2025, that salaries for the month of May have officially arrived and will be distributed starting Friday, July 25.
According to the ministry, Baghdad has deposited 974.8 billion Iraqi dinars into the KRG’s bank account to cover salaries for public sector employees. The long-awaited transfer brings relief to thousands of civil servants who had been waiting for their overdue payments.
This salary payment comes shortly after the KRG, on July 22, confirmed that it had transferred 120 billion dinars in non-oil revenues for May to the account of the Iraqi Federal Ministry of Finance. The transfer was part of a broader oil and financial agreement between Erbil and Baghdad aimed at ending the months-long salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region.
Under the terms of the agreement, the KRG must deliver 230,000 barrels of oil per day and transfer 120 billion dinars in internal revenues to Baghdad on a monthly basis. In return, the federal government is expected to release public sector salaries for the Region.
Despite the KRG fulfilling its commitments—including the oil deliveries and revenue transfer—payments had remained delayed, with civil servants still awaiting their salaries for both May and June, sparking widespread frustration and growing economic pressure.
Now, with May’s salaries secured and set for distribution, attention shifts to whether the federal government will continue honoring the agreement and release the salaries for June in a timely manner.