ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kirkuk is “fed up” with not receiving funds from Baghdad and its governor has warned the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) against having high expectations of the central government.
“We are fed up with Baghdad,” Najmaldin Karim, governor of Kirkuk, said on Thursday during a ceremony to inaugurate a bridge in the city. “I reiterate that Baghdad has ignored Kirkuk. My message to my friends in the Kurdistan Region is that they be careful not to expect much.”
Noting that Baghdad has not sent the province its budget share for three years, Karim said they have been dependent on petrodollars sent from the KRG.
“We have managed to execute 14 projects using the Kirkuk petrodollar budget dedicated by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) despite the economic crisis and not being given our budget share.”
“Our internal income is not that much,” he continued. “We use the money from the petrodollar budget given to us by the KRG, and the city’s provincial council is aware of this. The municipality wanted to do 6 projects which were later planned to be transferred to Baghdad. But we didn’t allow that. These 6 projects have now been increased to 14 and they will all be done in Kirkuk.”
“We have received 1,200,000,000 Iraqi dinars (IQD) from Baghdad this year. But it’s been three years we haven’t received any petrodollar budget from Baghdad,” he detailed.
Erbil and Baghdad are currently jointly selling 150,000 bpd of Kirkuk’s oil through the Kurdistan Region’s pipelines under an agreement between the two governments that sees them each paying half the civil salaries in Kirkuk.
“We are fed up with Baghdad,” Najmaldin Karim, governor of Kirkuk, said on Thursday during a ceremony to inaugurate a bridge in the city. “I reiterate that Baghdad has ignored Kirkuk. My message to my friends in the Kurdistan Region is that they be careful not to expect much.”
Noting that Baghdad has not sent the province its budget share for three years, Karim said they have been dependent on petrodollars sent from the KRG.
“We have managed to execute 14 projects using the Kirkuk petrodollar budget dedicated by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) despite the economic crisis and not being given our budget share.”
“Our internal income is not that much,” he continued. “We use the money from the petrodollar budget given to us by the KRG, and the city’s provincial council is aware of this. The municipality wanted to do 6 projects which were later planned to be transferred to Baghdad. But we didn’t allow that. These 6 projects have now been increased to 14 and they will all be done in Kirkuk.”
“We have received 1,200,000,000 Iraqi dinars (IQD) from Baghdad this year. But it’s been three years we haven’t received any petrodollar budget from Baghdad,” he detailed.
Erbil and Baghdad are currently jointly selling 150,000 bpd of Kirkuk’s oil through the Kurdistan Region’s pipelines under an agreement between the two governments that sees them each paying half the civil salaries in Kirkuk.
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