The regional government approves the unification of financial and accounting system procedures between Erbil and Baghdad , 7 SEPT

 The regional government approves the unification of financial and accounting system procedures between Erbil and Baghdad

9/4/2024

The Kurdistan Regional Government approved, on Wednesday, the unification of procedures for financial and accounting systems between the regional government and the federal government, taking into consideration the constitutional specificities of the region and its powers stipulated in the Iraqi constitution.

A statement by the presidency of the regional government, received by Shafaq News Agency, stated that "the regional government held a meeting on Wednesday under the supervision of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and in the presence of his deputy Qubad Talabani," indicating that "at the beginning of the meeting, Barzani referred in his speech to a number of points such as appointing lecturers on contracts and congratulated them on the occasion of the issuance of a decision to contract with them on internal revenues and hoped that this decision would gain the satisfaction of the lecturers and encourage them to serve the educational and educational process in the Kurdistan Region."

 The statement added that "the regional government congratulated the retirees in the Kurdistan Region on the occasion of unifying the salaries of retirees with their counterparts in the federal government and voting on this in the regional Council of Ministers and approving it," indicating that "at the level of the federal government as well, it was possible to reach an agreement and as of this month, the retirees of the region will receive their salaries that are equal to the salaries of retirees in the federal government."

He added, "Barzani reassures the retirees that he will always support their legitimate demands and that this tired part of the Kurdistan Region, which has sacrificed a large part of its life in public service, deserves all support and assistance."

The statement indicated that "Barzani, at the end of his speech, addressed the electoral campaign for the elections scheduled to begin this month, saying that the political parties are free within the internal regulations and instructions issued by the Independent High Electoral Commission on how to conduct electoral campaigns," adding that he asks them to "do so in a civilized manner and away from belittling and defaming others because everyone is a Kurd and a son of this country and must act responsibly."  

The statement noted that "in the first paragraph of the meeting, the Minister of Parliament Affairs of the Region, Fala Farid, and the Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Amanj Rahim, presented a draft of the Council of Ministers' decision to unify the procedures related to the financial and accounting system between the regional government and the federal government, taking into consideration the specificities of the authorities and constitutional rights of the region." 

The statement explained that "after the dialogues and exchange of views, the Council of Ministers unanimously decided to approve the draft as is in order to unify the procedures related to the financial and accounting systems between the regional government and the federal government, taking into consideration the constitutional specificities of the region and its powers stipulated in the Iraqi constitution." 

He pointed out that "it is clear that after 2014, the region's share of the budget was cut, and there was a complete disconnect with the federal government, which led to the adoption of two different financial and accounting systems by the finance ministries of the two governments. Therefore, in the current new phase between the two governments, it is an important step and will play a role in reorganizing the financial and accounting relations between them and resolving most of the observations of the joint team for financial oversight on revenues and expenditures and the staff of the regional government and unifying financial entitlements and salaries of employees throughout Iraq. This is in the interest of the region's employees and has begun with unifying the salaries of retirees."    

 The statement noted that "in the second paragraph, the Secretary of the Council of Ministers presented the results of the joint meeting between the technical delegation of the Ministry of Finance and Economy in the region and the Federal Ministry of Finance at the end of last week in Baghdad, as well as the results of the latest work of the joint team between the Financial Supervision Bureaus in the region and Baghdad. It was a summary of the recommendations, technical observations and serious steps taken by the ministries and institutions of the region that had previously taken the necessary measures regarding the recommendations and observations of the joint audit and review of revenues and expenditures and the delay in payment of salaries, in addition to the financial amount spent by the Federal Ministry of Finance on salaries for the months of July and August."

The statement added that "the Council of Ministers has instructed the ministries to continue coordination with the federal government and the joint financial oversight team from both sides, complete biometric registration, issue job numbers for all employees on salaries, and expedite the activation of the electronic payment system," stressing that "in return, the federal Ministry of Finance must send the salaries for July and August 2024 as soon as possible so that the Kurdistan Regional Government can pay the salaries for August as soon as possible, in a manner equivalent to employees who receive salaries in other parts of Iraq, if the region's employees are now entitled to the August salary." 

The Council of Ministers also discussed preparations for the special meeting of the Federal Ministerial Economic Council, which is scheduled to be held in Erbil these days, on the pending issues between the two ministries. The Council of Ministers warmly welcomed the meeting held in Erbil, while the Kurdistan Regional Government considers this meeting an important opportunity to meet the relevant ministers in both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Federal Government closely to discuss the pending issues between the two sides seriously in all fields and sectors. 

The statement pointed out that "the Council of Ministers has assigned the Secretary of the Council of Ministers, the Head of the Coordination and Monitoring Office, and relevant authorities to make the necessary preparations in coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government's representation in Baghdad and the Secretariat of the Federal Economic Council, and to direct the ministers to prepare their issues according to their characteristics and submit balanced proposals and recommendations that take into account the powers stipulated in the Iraqi Constitution in order to solve the issues radically and provide greater space for cooperation between the two governments and improve the living conditions of citizens throughout Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region."  LINK