Spokesman: Iraq recognizes KRG, not provinces, in 2018 budget

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq has continued to recognize the “Kurdistan Region” in draft budgets for 2018 and will deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government amid Kurdish concerns that officials in Baghdad have increasingly reverted to using “north Iraq” and would deal directly with the four provinces.

Saad al-Hadithi, the spokesperson for the Iraqi government, said in a statement that the names of the provinces in northern Iraq have not been referenced in the 2018 budget bill, adding that the Iraqi government is committed to the borders of the Kurdistan Region.

The KRG has accused the central government of trying to cancel the constitutionally recognized Region as a political entity. 

In accordance with Article 143 of the constitution, Hadithi wrote in a statement reported on by Iraq's Shafaaq news on Sunday, Baghdad will be dealing with the KRG rather than individual provinces.

He said that according to Article 143 of the Iraqi constitution, provinces of Erbil, Sulaimani and Duhok are an independent region whose administration borders have been determined.

Erbil has criticized the Iraqi government for slashing the KRG’s share in the proposed budget by about a quarter, down to 12.67 percent from the previously agreed 17 percent. 

Next year's bill has now reached its final stages, according to Hadithi.

He also stressed that the constitution is the main authority for all the communities of Iraq regardless of any differences, adding that the Iraqi government is committed to the constitution and that it will implement it

The steps taken toward the Kurdistan Region were taken in a bid to enforce the constitution, according to Hadithi

The cabinet of minister of the dismissed the drafting of Iraq’s 2018 budget without Kurdish participation as a violation of the constitution and the country’s financial laws on November 5.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his deputy Qubad Talabani also met with governors and heads of provincial councils of the Kurdish provinces of Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, and Halabja on November 5.


“What the federal government of Iraq is stating regarding providing the budgets of the provinces is nothing less than political propaganda. The best example of this is the draft budget of Iraq for 2018 that has allocated a budget for Kurdistan that is not enough to cover the expenses of one province of Kurdistan,” read a KRG statement published following the meeting.