Kurdistan welcomes salary deal with Baghdad
On Thursday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani welcomed the new agreement with Baghdad to resume the payment of public sector salaries, expressing hope that Kurdish entitlements would no longer be subject to political or financial disputes.
Barzani said the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had shown 'maximum flexibility' and fulfilled all its obligations 'in the interest of the public and to ease the burden on Kurdistan's citizens,' paving the way for a joint agreement announced by the Iraqi cabinet earlier in the day.
پێزانینێکی زۆرم بۆ خۆڕاگری و پشوودرێژیی خەڵکی کوردستان هەیە، هەروەها سوپاسی ماندووبوونی هەموو کەس و لایەنێکیش دەکەم کە هەوڵیان بۆ چارەسەرکردنی کێشەی مووچە داوە و بەردەوام هاوکار و پاڵپشتمان بوون. https://t.co/Sz3ReOv9SY
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) July 17, 2025
Barzani also called for regular, uninterrupted payments going forward, stressing that outstanding issues should be resolved 'per the Constitution and in full respect of signed agreements.'
Tensions between Baghdad and Erbil over oil exports and revenue sharing intensified in May 2025 when the former halted salary disbursements, citing the KRG's failure to deliver agreed oil volumes and to remit non-oil revenues to the state treasury—requirements enshrined in Iraq's 2023–2025 federal budget law.
The KRG argued that it faced logistical and political challenges in fulfilling the agreement, particularly due to the continued halt of crude exports through Turkiye's Ceyhan port since March 2023.
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