Latest news with #QubadTalabani
Shafaq News
16-07-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Baghdad-KRG strike deal on salaries and oil
Shafaq News – Baghdad/Erbil Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) finalized a financial agreement on Wednesday, ending a months-long impasse over several critical issues. A well-informed source told Shafaq News that under the deal, the federal government will transfer 240B IQD (~ $183M)—120 billion each for May and June—to cover delayed salaries. In exchange, the KRG will supply 230,000 barrels of crude oil per day and transfer non-oil revenues from border crossings. Technical teams from both sides will begin auditing export volumes and revenue figures, paving the way for broader negotiations on Kurdistan's full budget entitlement, the source added. A federal source separately confirmed that Baghdad is awaiting formal documentation from Erbil to activate the agreement through joint committees. Earlier today, the Kurdish Council of Ministers, in a session led by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, approved the agreement's terms and condemned recent sabotage of the Region's energy infrastructure—particularly oil fields—urging Baghdad to investigate and prevent further attacks. مجلس الوزراء يوافق على التفاهم جديد بين حكومة إقليم كوردستان والحكومة الاتحادية بشأن الرواتب والمستحقات المالية — Kurdistan Regional Government (@Kurdistan) July 16, 2025 The deal comes amid growing unrest in the Kurdistan Region, where nearly 1.5 million public employees have gone unpaid since May. Baghdad had suspended transfers, accusing Erbil of 'failing' to meet conditions in the 2023–2025 Budget Law.
Rudaw Net
14-07-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
KRG meets to resolve financial disputes with Baghdad
Also in Kurdistan KDP, PUK top-level delegations meet to discuss new cabinet, Baghdad disputes Suicide drone shot down near Erbil airport: Kurdish counterterrorism KDP, PUK leaders to meet over Erbil-Baghdad tensions, KRG cabinet formation Former Komal lawmaker released hours after arrest in Sulaimani A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Council of Ministers held a special meeting on Sunday to address its ongoing financial dispute with Baghdad, focusing on delayed public salaries, budget allocations, and the stalled resumption of oil exports. Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani presided over the meeting, which reviewed 'the latest efforts and results of dialogue and negotiations with the federal government, specifically concerning the salaries and financial entitlements of the people of the Kurdistan Region and the immediate resumption of the Region's oil exports,' according to a statement from the KRG. The statement added that officials emphasized 'intensifying all efforts with the federal government to resolve the issue,' stressing there is 'consensus and solidarity' to secure the Region's salaries and financial dues. 'This matter is a priority of the previous and current government, and therefore, it continues working continuously to resolve it,' it read. Tensions between Erbil and Baghdad escalated in late May after the federal finance ministry halted all budget transfers to the KRG, including the salaries of over 1.2 million public servants. The ministry claimed Erbil had already received more than its 12.67 percent share of the 2025 federal budget and had not delivered its agreed share of oil. On Saturday, the Region's ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) warned it was giving Baghdad a 'final opportunity' to resolve the salary dispute. The party said that Fuad Hussein, Iraq's foreign minister and a senior KDP official, had spoken with political parties in Baghdad and returned to the Region with a message that officials in the capital had promised to resolve the matter 'in the coming few days.' The standoff has also been exacerbated by the suspension of Kurdish oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, which has remained offline since March 2023. Iraq's Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani said Saturday that the delay in resumption is due to new demands from Erbil for higher volumes of oil for domestic use, explaining that while the KRG initially agreed to receive 46,000 barrels per day for internal consumption, 'the Region is now requesting it be 65,000, thus violating the budget law.' Under the 2025 budget law, the KRG is required to deliver 400,000 barrels per day to the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO).
Iraq Business
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Iraq Business
EU-Funded Gene Bank Launched in Kurdistan
By John Lee. In a landmark move to protect Iraq's agricultural legacy and strengthen its food security, the foundation stone has been laid for the country's first-ever Gene/Seed Bank, located in Hawari Shar Park, Sulaymaniyah. The facility is being funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in cooperation with Iraq's Federal and Regional Governments, under the " Restoration and Strengthening the Resilience of Agri-Food Systems in Iraq " project. The inauguration was held under the auspices of H.E. Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and attended by Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources Begard Talabani, Governor of Sulaymaniyah Dr. Haval Abubakir, Mayor of Sulaymaniyah Ms. Leyla Omar Ali, FAO Representative Salah El Hajj Hassan, and other senior officials from academia and agriculture. Mr. Qubad Talabani described the gene bank as " an investment for the future; it protects our past and secures our future. " With over 3,500 plant species native to Iraq, the gene bank will conserve rare and wild varieties of grains, vegetables, and indigenous crops. It will support the development of climate-resilient agriculture by preserving traits such as drought tolerance. Minister Begard Talabani called the initiative a "strategic milestone" that will aid scientific research and protect Iraq's plant diversity for generations to come. FAO's Salah El Hajj Hassan thanked the EU for its funding and reiterated the project's alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals-particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). He described the gene bank as a centre for innovation and resilience. The facility will feature storage vaults, laboratories, seed documentation, and conservation units, with planned future expansions including a cryobank, tissue culture laboratory, and field gene bank. (Source: FAO Iraq)
Shafaq News
25-06-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Kurdistan Region sends June payroll list as May salaries remain unpaid
Shafaq News – Erbil The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reaffirmed on Wednesday its ongoing efforts to resolve the public salary crisis through continued negotiations with the Iraqi government, as the dispute over budget transfers from Baghdad enters its sixth week. The Council of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, held its weekly session to review the financial strain caused by the delay in payments. According to the KRG, Iraq's Federal Ministry of Finance has 'unlawfully' withheld May salaries, despite a binding ruling by the Federal Supreme Court. As of Wednesday, public employees and retirees in the Kurdistan Region entered their 42nd consecutive day without receiving May wages. No clear commitment has been made by Baghdad regarding the transfer of funds, while internal revenues remain insufficient to cover full salary disbursements. During the cabinet session, Finance Minister Awat Sheikh Janab presented a detailed report on the Region's revenues and expenditures for the first half of 2025, including monthly obligations such as salaries and investment projects. He also proposed cost-cutting measures to prioritize wage payments. The Council emphasized that the Region has met its financial obligations and called for salaries to be treated as a protected right, insulated from broader political disputes. It welcomed the anticipated arrival of a federal delegation in Erbil for further talks aimed at resolving the deadlock.
Shafaq News
30-05-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Kurdistan's transparency drive yields 16B Dinars in weekly non-oil income
Shafaq News/ Non-oil revenues in the provinces of Al-Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, and the administrations of Garmyan and Raparin exceeded 16 billion dinars last week. According to a public platform launched under the supervision of Kurdish Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, the four areas collectively generated 16,020,668,471 dinars (about $11.3M) in non-oil income between May 24 and May 30, 2025. The figures show that 94% of the revenues were collected in cash, while 6% were processed through checks. Al-Sulaymaniyah, a major commercial hub in the Kurdistan Region, continues to attract traders from across the region. The bulk of non-oil imports into the area include food products, clothing, electronics, building materials, machinery, and vehicles. These goods primarily originate from neighboring countries such as Iran, Turkiye, Syria, and Jordan, with additional imports from China, India, and various European nations.
