PM Barzani describes talks with Iraqi PM, parliament speaker as ‘good’

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Saturday that he held “good talks” with Iraq’s prime minister and parliament speaker on ties between Baghdad and Erbil during meetings in the Iraqi capital.

After meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi in Baghdad, Barzani told Rudaw’s Halkawt Aziz that the sides had “good talks” regarding “a range of issues related to relations between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region, and the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region.”

Referring to Zaidi and Halbousi, Barzani added, “They both said the issue of salaries must not be mixed with other matters, and the situation of salary earners in the Kurdistan Region is the same as that of salary earners in Iraq.”

Prime Minister Barzani arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for high-level meetings with federal officials and prominent Iraqi political leaders. Discussions focused on longstanding disputes between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad, particularly over salaries and budget allocations.

The KRG premier said they still have “more discussions to do with the leaders and political parties.”

Baghdad and Erbil have been locked in a dispute over the salaries of Kurdistan Region public employees since 2014. Civil servants in the Region have faced repeated delays, salary cuts, and periods of non-payment amid ongoing disagreements between the two governments.

The Iraqi government has repeatedly delayed the transfer of the Kurdistan Region’s share of the federal budget, often accusing Erbil of failing to meet its financial obligations, claims the KRG denies.

According to a KRG statement issued after the meeting between Barzani and Zaidi, both sides stressed the “importance of resolving the issues between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government fundamentally, based on the constitution and respect for the federal entity of the Kurdistan Region.”

The statement added that Barzani congratulated Zaidi on assuming office and reaffirmed support for the success of his government in serving all Iraqis “without discrimination.”