ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq will continue to send 618 billion dinars (about $471) monthly for the Kurdistan Region to continue paying the salaries of civil servants, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said on Tuesday.
“The Kurdistan Region’s salary share will continue to be sent as this is a federal share,” Sudani told reporters in Baghdad.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in early February announced that it had received a sum of 618 billion dinars from Baghdad to cover the salaries of civil servants, despite the amount being only 65 percent of the total sum that Erbil needs to pay its employees.
In a cabinet meeting in early January, the Iraqi government decided to pay 618 billion dinars to the KRG.
The KRG has said that it needs over 900 billion dinars (about $686 million) monthly to cover its payroll, but with its oil exports through Turkey halted since March, it does not have the funds. In September, Erbil and Baghdad struck a deal that saw the federal government agree to loan the KRG 2.1 trillion Iraqi dinars in three 700-billion-dollar (about $534 million) installments, to cover the salaries of the months of September, October, and November.
According to Erbil, 325 billion dinars (about $216.5 million) are needed to fill the deficit.
In January, the KRG Council of Ministers labeled the recent budget talks with Baghdad regarding the unpaid salaries as “positive.”
“The Kurdistan Region’s salary share will continue to be sent as this is a federal share,” Sudani told reporters in Baghdad.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in early February announced that it had received a sum of 618 billion dinars from Baghdad to cover the salaries of civil servants, despite the amount being only 65 percent of the total sum that Erbil needs to pay its employees.
In a cabinet meeting in early January, the Iraqi government decided to pay 618 billion dinars to the KRG.
The KRG has said that it needs over 900 billion dinars (about $686 million) monthly to cover its payroll, but with its oil exports through Turkey halted since March, it does not have the funds. In September, Erbil and Baghdad struck a deal that saw the federal government agree to loan the KRG 2.1 trillion Iraqi dinars in three 700-billion-dollar (about $534 million) installments, to cover the salaries of the months of September, October, and November.
According to Erbil, 325 billion dinars (about $216.5 million) are needed to fill the deficit.
In January, the KRG Council of Ministers labeled the recent budget talks with Baghdad regarding the unpaid salaries as “positive.”
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment