Kurdistan Regional Government: We have handed over oil to SOMO, and there is no justification for suspending salaries.
Kurdistan Regional Government: We have handed over oil to SOMO, and there is no justification for suspending salaries.
2025-09-17 06:13
Shafaq News- Erbil
Kurdistan Regional Government spokesman Peshwa Hawrami announced on Wednesday that the regional government has handed over its share of oil to SOMO, stressing at the same time that “there is no legal reason to stop paying salaries to the region’s employees.”
In a statement to Shafaq News Agency, Hawrami said, “The oil production companies have agreed to operate in accordance with Iraqi laws and have abandoned their previous demand to guarantee their rights under international law.” He noted that “the regional government has issued an official letter announcing its readiness to hand over oil to SOMO.”
He explained that “the delivery of oil must coincide with the payment of salaries for July and subsequent months to the region’s employees,” adding that “the laws in force, including the budget law, the financial management law, and the constitution, are sufficient in themselves and do not justify the suspension of salary payments, especially after the Federal Court’s ruling.”
The regional government spokesman indicated that “oil production capacity has returned to normal, with the region producing 233,000 barrels per day,” stressing that “the resumption of exports serves the financial situation of both Iraq and Kurdistan.”
The spokesman emphasized that “all the regional government’s efforts and its implementation of federal government requirements are aimed at ensuring that no employee is deprived of their salary,” while affirming the region’s commitment to internal revenues “without any increase or decrease” in accordance with the law.
In this context, the media office of Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced that the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Council of Ministers held a meeting on Wednesday, chaired by him, during which it discussed developments in oil exports, non-oil revenues, salaries and financial dues for employees, as well as mechanisms for implementing the obligations of the federal and regional governments.
A government statement affirmed that the regional government has fulfilled all its constitutional obligations and exceeded them, and has demonstrated the necessary flexibility to overcome the obstacles and technical issues that served as a pretext for not sending salaries. The statement emphasized that the salaries of regional employees are a legal and legitimate right that cannot be delayed and must be sent by the federal government.
He pointed out that the negotiating delegation presented details of the joint proposals between the regional and federal governments regarding the resumption of oil exports, which were recently voted on by the Iraqi Council of Ministers after being ratified by the regional Council of Ministers last week.
The Council also discussed financial coordination between the two sides, particularly regarding taxes, stressing that the Kurdistan Region, as a federal entity, has the right to exercise its constitutional and financial powers. The Council tasked the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the General Tax Directorate with continuing coordination with their counterparts in the federal government within the framework of the constitution.
The statement added that the Minister of Education presented a report on his ministry’s preparations for the new 2025-2026 academic year. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Council commemorated the anniversary of the 1969 massacre of the village of “Syria,” affiliated with the Zakho administration, committed by the former Iraqi regime against its Christian (Chaldean) and Muslim residents, renewing its call on the federal government to compensate the victims of that crime and all other victims of the former regime.
shafaq.com
