ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s interior minister on Monday criticized Baghdad for failing to uphold its constitutional obligations, particularly regarding paying the Region’s public sector salaries, saying the salary cuts are affecting Kurdish Peshmerga forces who were instrumental in defeating the Islamic State (ISIS).
“The most pressing challenges and difficulties the Kurdistan Region faces are the continued failure of the federal government of Iraq to meet its constitutional obligations toward the Kurdistan Region, particularly in ensuring the salaries of our country’s public sector employees,” Rebar Ahmed said in a speech on sidelines of Bastille Day - the French national day celebrations in Erbil.
Tensions between Erbil and Baghdad escalated in late May when the federal finance ministry halted all budget transfers to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including the salaries of over 1.2 million public employees. The ministry said the KRG had already received more than its 12.67 percent share of the 2025 federal budget and had failed to deliver its agreed share of oil to Baghdad.
“The Peshmerga forces who once protected Baghdad at the beginning of the formation of the Iraqi government after 2003 and helped defeat ISIS on behalf of the international coalition have had their salaries unfairly cut,” Ahmed stressed, further criticizing Baghdad of “politicizing at the expense” of the Region’s citizens.
He emphasized that Erbil remains committed to resolving disputes within the framework of the Iraqi constitution and applicable legal mechanisms.
Ahmed made his remarks during a Bastille Day ceremony in Erbil, also attended by high-ranking Kurdish officials such as Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, and Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw, along with French Consul General to Erbil Yann Braem.
He described France as a steadfast friend and longtime partner rooted in decades of shared struggle, mutual respect, and enduring support.
“When our people faced existential threats and their dictatorship during displacement or in the war against terrorism, France stood with us,” Ahmed said, adding that,” French humanitarian organizations were among the first on the ground, and the French people opened their heartsand homes to Kurdish refugees with compassion and dignity.”
Braem highlighted the strong relationship between Erbil and Paris, emphasizing the Kurdistan Region’s continued commitment to stability and a peaceful approach in addressing regional challenges.
Through recent business forums in Paris and Baghdad, Braem said that France and the Kurdistan Region have “strengthened our economic relationship.”
In late May, officials and business leaders from Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and France gathered in Paris for a major forum aimed at boosting trade and investment ties.
“We would not have been able to achieve them without the active commitment of all our Kurdish partners - the institutions and the government of the Region, of course, but also the Kurdish companies, the associations, whose determination to strengthen our ties I want to salute today,” he said.
The diplomat called for dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad to resolve outstanding disputes.
He said that France supports “Kurdish unity, along with our shared conviction that dialogue is the best means to resolve disputes, particularly with Baghdad.”
On Monday, top delegations from the Kurdistan Region’s ruling parties – the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) – met in Erbil to solidify a united stance on key issues, including the long-running dispute with Baghdad over public sector salaries and financial entitlements.
On Saturday, the KDP issued a warning and said it is giving Baghdad a “final chance” to resolve the ongoing budget dispute.