Senior KDP, PUK figures to meet Iraqi PM amid financial crisis
Iraq's three presidencies condemn 'drone attacks' on Kurdistan oil fields
Kurdistan Region presidency condemns drone strikes on oil fields, urges Baghdad to act
Iraq signs oil deal with US firm
Water crisis in Iraq, Kurdistan Region to halve supply per person by 2035: Rudaw Research Center
A+ A-
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - In a bid to resolve the ongoing financial crisis between Erbil and Baghdad, Rudaw has learned that Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein - a senior Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) figure - are set to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Tuesday, with Supreme Judicial Council head Faiq Zidan also attending.
A well-placed source told Rudaw that a member of the KDP politburo is also expected to attend. The Kurdish officials are scheduled to hold further meetings with several senior Iraqi political leaders on Wednesday morning, the source added.
Tensions between Erbil and Baghdad escalated in late May after the Iraqi federal finance ministry suspended budget transfers to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), accusing it of exceeding its 12.67 percent share of the federal budget and failing to deliver the agreed oil quota to the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO).
The suspension has left over 1.2 million public servants in the Kurdistan Region without salaries for more than two months.
Crucially, the Baghdad meetings come just a day after senior delegations from the Kurdistan Region's ruling parties met in Erbil's Pirmam district to form a 'unified stance' on the financial dispute.
A joint statement following the meeting said it was chaired by preeminent Kurdish leader and KDP head Masoud Barzani, with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and PUK leader Talabani also in attendance.
The Kurdish parties pledged to adopt a unified strategy to 'intensify efforts' and 'ensure the provision of salaries and entitlements for the Kurdistan Region,' emphasizing that all steps would be taken within the constitutional framework.
The high-level meeting notably followed a special session of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers held Sunday to address the worsening financial crisis. A day prior, the KDP had issued a warning, saying it would give Baghdad a 'final chance' to resolve the ongoing budget dispute.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rudaw Net
a few seconds ago
- Rudaw Net
Female Kurdish force rescues Yazidi woman from 11 years ISIS captivity
Also in Syria Suwayda doctors recount harrowing accounts of sectarian violence Damascus rejects SDF demands to retain weapons, form separate military bloc Explosion kills at least 6 in Syria's Idlib Syria church denies Christian displacement from Suwayda amid violence A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An all-female Kurdish force in northeast Syria rescued a 21-year-old Yazidi woman who had been held captive by the Islamic State (ISIS) for 11 years. Riham H. 'was rescued by the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) and handed over to Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) and Shingal Women's Units (YJS) to be returned to her family,' the YPJ said in a statement on Thursday. Riham was kidnapped by ISIS during its 2014 occupation of Shingal (Sinjar). She was 10 years old at the time of her abduction. The statement did not detail where she had been held captive. The YPJ is the women's branch of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which is the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Kurdish female fighters have been recognized for their fight against ISIS, in particular their role in defending the besieged Kurdish town of Kobane in 2014-2015. The force said their 'struggle against the terrorist organization ISIS will continue with all its difficulties' until all the missing Yazidi women are rescued. Yazidi women and men who were children at the time of their abduction continue to be rescued from across Syria and the Middle East. During its 2014 assault on Shingal, ISIS abducted 6,417 Yazidi women and children, many of whom were subjected to sexual slavery and forced labor. Nearly 2,600 of them are still missing, according to the Office of Rescuing Abducted Yazidis, which is affiliated with the Kurdistan Region Presidency. Although ISIS was territorially defeated in Iraq by 2017 and in Syria by 2019, it continues to pose a security threat in the region.
Shafaq News
30 minutes ago
- Shafaq News
Joint anti-ISIS operation in Aleppo kills Iraqi commander
Shafaq News - Damascus Syrian forces, supported by the US-led Global Coalition, targeted ISIS cells in a raid in the city of al-Bab in eastern Aleppo province, security sources reported on Friday. The joint operation involved units from the Syrian Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior, backed by military helicopters. Four suspects were killed during the raid, including a senior Iraqi commander affiliated with ISIS. Before clashes erupted, security units used loudspeakers to call on the suspects to surrender. Roads leading to the area were sealed off, while reconnaissance drones and aircraft patrolled overhead. The identities of those killed have not been released.
Iraqi News
9 hours ago
- Iraqi News
Iraq exports over 600 million barrels of oil in 2025's first half
Baghdad ( – The State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) revealed on Thursday that Iraq's oil exports during the first half of 2025 surpassed 600 million barrels. According to the figures, Iraq's total oil exports in the first half of the year were 606.58 million barrels, representing 101.09 million barrels per month. SOMO reported that revenue generated from oil exports in March, April, May, and June totaled $27.5 billion. Due to ongoing production cuts in line with OPEC+ agreements and additional voluntary reductions, Iraq's average crude oil and derivative exports fell by 110,000 barrels per day in the first quarter of 2025. Iraq's average crude oil and petroleum derivative exports during 2024 increased to 3.64 million barrels per day compared to 3.55 million barrels per day in 2023. Over 70 percent of Iraq's oil exports in the first quarter of 2025 were sent to Asian buyers, who continued to be the largest consumers of Iraqi oil. The top three countries on the list were China (1.34 million barrels per day), India (940,000 barrels per day), and South Korea (380,000 barrels per day).
