As a result of pressure, for the first time, Erbil submits to Baghdad and hands over its oil shares, 18 OCT

  As a result of pressure, for the first time, Erbil submits to Baghdad and hands over its oil shares, 18 OCT

According to Moeen Al-Kadhimi, a member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, the regional government has acknowledged the delivery of the region’s approved oil share, as well as non-oil revenues related to the border crossings. This marks the first time that the government has acknowledged the delivery of the region’s oil share as stated in the 2023 budget.

According to a statement by Al-Kadhimi, the region is currently under social pressure due to the failure to pay the salaries of its employees for the months of July, August, and September. The amount received from the federal government as a first payment is not enough to cover all the salaries, as the monthly salary expense for the region’s employees is around 900 trillion, which amounts to approximately 10 to 11 trillion annually.

According to him, due to public pressure, the region has agreed to hand over its oil share of 400,000 barrels to the Federal M inistry of Oil, along with non-oil revenues related to the border crossings. This marks the first time that the region has complied with its obligations to the federal government.

The Kurdish delegation arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday and plans to request the government to fulfill its commitment of providing the remaining financial payments to pay the salaries of its employees. However, the government will only do so after the regional government acknowledges its obligations to implement the provisions of the 2023 budget for the Kurdistan region.

On Wednesday, the Minister of Finance of the Kurdistan Region will meet with the House of Representatives to discuss financial obligations between Baghdad and Erbil, including salaries.

A delegation from the regional government arrived in the capital city of Baghdad yesterday evening, Tuesday. Today, Wednesday, they will hold a meeting with the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives to discuss the budget and salaries. The meeting is expected to address important issues related to the financial wellbeing of the region. The delegation’s visit is a significant step towards resolving these issues. The meeting is scheduled to take place today.