KRG spokesperson: The Kurdish people are not "slaves" to receive their salaries in installments

Shafaq News / The spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Peshawa Hawramani, stated on Wednesday that the Kurdish people are not "slaves" to receive their employees' salaries in installments.

He also elaborated on the details of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's visit to the United States.

During a press conference, Hawramani expressed, "For some time now, we have sensed no goodwill towards the Kurdistan Region, and anyone who harbors such goodwill faces opposition and is targeted."

He added, "The Kurdish people are not enslaved people to receive 600 billion dinars in one month, 500 billion dinars in another month, and 400 billion dinars in a subsequent month. Dealing with the sentiments of the Kurdistan Region whimsically is unacceptable."

Hawramani affirmed, "We will not relinquish the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region, nor will we forsake the blood of our martyrs and the sacrifices made for this Region."

He pointed out, "Some want to treat the Region as a governorate or even less. However, there are defiant and loyal Kurdish individuals who stand against all this injustice and will not accept it."

KRG has initiated efforts to localize employee salaries through the "My Account" project, supervised by the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI).

Despite the federal government's recent release of funds for the Kurdistan Region's salaries for February, the Ministry of Finance warned that no funding would be provided for March 2024 if employee salaries are not localized.

On Monday, the Iraqi Ministry of Finance announced the disbursement of salaries to the Kurdistan Region for February 2024, aligning with the directives of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and the approval of the Minister of Finance.

According to the Ministry's statement, the salaries encompass funding for various categories, including civilian employees, allowances for people with disabilities, retirees' salaries, martyrs' and orphans' entitlements, and financial allocations for departments in the Region.

"The Ministry has duly informed the Federal Court about the content of the relevant letters concerning the salary disbursement. However, the release of salaries for March is contingent upon the completion of localization requirements by the Kurdistan Region." The statement explained.

The Ministry emphasized that KRG is urged to "bear legal responsibility for the accuracy and validity of the information and data provided to regulatory and legal authorities."

Regarding the visit of the Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to the US, Hawramani clarified that "PM Barzani and his accompanying delegation went to the United States upon the invitation of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and they held a series of productive meetings, confirming US support for the Kurdistan Region."

He added, "The United States strongly supports the Kurdistan Region," noting that Barzani expressed gratitude for the continuous support from the United States, which has had positions supporting the people of Kurdistan during difficult times.

Hawramani emphasized that "Barzani stressed, during his meetings, dealing with the people of the Kurdistan Region per the constitution."