Iraq committed to ending Kurdistan salary deadlock

Shafaq News – Erbil/Baghdad

The Iraqi government is determined to end the ongoing salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qassim al-Araji revealed Thursday.

Speaking during a visit to the graves of Kurdish leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani and his son Idris Barzani, al-Araji confirmed Baghdad’s “serious commitment” to financial justice for public employees in the Region, emphasizing the need to resolve disagreements between Erbil and Baghdad “under the constitution and applicable laws.”

While describing the issue as a priority for the Iraqi government, he pointed to the formation of a high-level ministerial committee to fast-track the resolution.

The dispute escalated in May after Baghdad linked wage disbursements to Erbil’s full handover of oil exports to the state-run SOMO company and stricter controls over non-oil revenues. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) rejected the terms, arguing they exceeded the scope of earlier agreements and insisting it had already met its obligations.

To break the impasse, a KRG delegation arrived in Baghdad on Monday for talks. According to MP Sabah Sobhi of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), these high-level meetings will soon resolve the salary and oil file.