ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday criticized the Iraqi government for treating the Kurdistan Region in a “discriminatory and unconstitutional way,” reiterating that salary suspensions persist due to political reasons rather than technical issues.

In a speech addressing cadres at the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) organs, the premier said that the federal government has treated “the Kurdistan Region in an unjust, discriminatory, and unconstitutional way,” while underlining the Region’s legitimacy as a “constitutional entity” within a federal Iraq, whose authorities and rights under the constitution “must be respected.”

Barzani reiterated that the budgetary issues between Erbil and Baghdad have a “political, not technical” nature and reaffirmed that the Kurdistan Region “will never give up any of its constitutional rights.”

The prime minister added that a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is in Baghdad with the aim of resolving the ongoing salary suspension issues, confirming earlier reports by The New Region on Monday about a KRG delegation arriving in the Iraqi capital to settle the outstanding financial disputes.

A recent suspension of Kurdistan Region’s civil servant salaries has sparked outrage among the Region’s public, as well as among officials and politicians, who have slammed the decision as “political.”

Years of conflict, unresolved issues between Erbil and Baghdad, and economic sanctions and pressure on Erbil by federal authorities have forced employees in the Region to live paycheck to paycheck.

The move has led civil servants from the Kurdistan Region to file a complaint with the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court, demanding uninterrupted funding of their salaries on their scheduled dates, as per a previous court ruling.

The New Region understands that intensified talks between Erbil and Baghdad have seen significant progress. However, a KRG official dismissed claims that Erbil has agreed to hand over all oil produced in the Kurdistan Region to Baghdad.

In a letter addressed to Erbil in late May, Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami said Baghdad was “unable to continue funding the Region,” for the rest of the year, arguing that Erbil has already exceeded its share of the annual budget.

Spokesperson of the KRG, Peshawa Hawramani, said on Wednesday that funding the salaries of the Region’s employees by the federal government depends on an agreement between international oil companies (IOCs) and Baghdad for the resumption of Erbil’s exports.

“The ball is now in Baghdad’s court,” Hawramani said. “The fate of one million employees awaits a signature” from Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.