
Kurdistan accuses Baghdad of failing on salary commitments
On Thursday, Kurdish Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Pshtiwan Sadiq, criticized the Iraqi government's handling of funding monthly salaries for public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region.
Addressing a group of religious leaders in Erbil, Sadiq noted that since 2014, Baghdad's policies have created difficulties for the people of the Kurdistan Region, highlighting that Kurdistan agreed to all federal demands, including transferring oil and non-oil revenues to Baghdad in exchange for salary payments.
'We have fulfilled our commitments, but the federal government has not honored its side of the agreement,' Sadiq noted.
Sadiq also pointed to efforts by the federal government aimed at 'weakening and economically marginalizing Kurdistan', warning that opposition parties in the Region are further undermining its constitutional status.
Since May, tensions have escalated between Erbil and Baghdad over the release of public sector salaries. Iraqi authorities linked disbursements to the Kurdistan Region's full transfer of oil exports to the state-run SOMO company, along with increased oversight of non-oil revenues. The Kurdish government rejected those terms as exceeding earlier agreements.
The resulting deadlock has delayed salary payments for hundreds of thousands of public employees in the Region. As a temporary measure, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani authorized the payment of May's salaries through a federal loan, pending further resolution.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Iraqi News
3 hours ago
- Iraqi News
Kurdish militants in Iraqi Kurdistan to hand over weapons
Baghdad ( – In a step toward disarmament within a peace process, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) declared on Thursday that its fighters in northern Iraq will begin giving over their weapons. According to a statement released by the PKK, a group of militants will leave the mountains and surrender their weapons in an attempt to demonstrate their support for democratic politics and peace. According to the statement, a ceremony scheduled between July 10 and 12 in the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq will mark the first tangible step toward disarmament. The PKK announced a ceasefire with Turkey earlier in 2025 in response to a call from its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who is presently serving a life sentence, to dismantle and disarm the organization. In late February, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed the call made by Ocalan to his party to lay down arms. The ministry viewed this endeavor as a critical step in improving security throughout the region, not just in Iraq, where PKK fighters are active in various parts of Iraqi Kurdistan and a few other places. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union have all labeled the PKK, which has been fighting for decades, as a terrorist organization. The party's choice to dissolve is an important milestone in regional geopolitics and may alleviate long-standing tensions, particularly in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where PKK members have remained.


Iraq Business
3 hours ago
- Iraq Business
Land Allocated for Economic City in Partnership with Elsewedy Electric
By John Lee. The Iraqi Cabinet has approved the allocation of part of plot (1/89, District 14, Al-Haswa), currently owned by the Ministry of Finance and designated for the Ministry of Defence, based on the Defence Ministry's actual land needs. A total of 2,400 dunams will be allocated to the Iraq Development Fund to contract with Elsewedy Electric for the establishment of an economic city, under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties. The remaining land will be allocated to the National Investment Commission (NIC) for the development of large-scale economic cities. The Cabinet also approved an exemption from Cabinet Decision No. 169 of 2022 for this land allocation. (Source: PMO)


Shafaq News
4 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Trump poised for Gaza deal during Netanyahu visit
Shafaq News – Middle East Israeli officials said Thursday that US President Donald Trump could announce a proposed prisoner exchange deal with Hamas during his upcoming meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington next week. According to anonymous officials cited by a Hebrew newspaper, Hamas has not yet formally accepted the American proposal, but its response could open the door to 'direct or close-range negotiations.' They added that Trump is exerting pressure on Qatar, Hamas's key backer, to push the group toward acceptance — even if a final agreement is not immediately reached. 'The deal is making progress,' one Israeli official said, though he acknowledged obstacles remain, particularly concerning the list of Palestinian detainees that Hamas wants released. 'Hamas will continue to fight over the names — what is referred to as the 'keys' — as is customary in such negotiations,' he added. In parallel, six members of the Israeli Knesset from the ruling coalition — including lawmakers from Netanyahu's Likud party — sent a letter to the prime minister and his cabinet urging a complete defeat of Hamas and the imposition of full Israeli sovereignty over Gaza. The lawmakers warned that any deal that does not include the total dismantling of Hamas poses an 'existential threat to Israel.' They stressed they would 'not approve any solution that does not amount to a decisive victory,' signaling strong opposition to ceasefire or interim arrangements. Despite this internal dissent, government officials close to Netanyahu said the prime minister remains determined to secure a deal at any cost, viewing the current political moment as 'rare and historic.' In closed-door discussions, Netanyahu reportedly said, 'We now have fantastic political opportunities that come only once in a generation.' According to the source, these statements reflect Netanyahu's growing inclination to end the war in Gaza entirely, rather than resume military operations — especially as regional talks appear to be gaining momentum. There is increasing speculation about a broader set of regional deals involving Saudi Arabia, Syria, and possibly other countries.