HALABJA, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The committee that was formed to oversee Erbil-Baghdad disputes in Tuesday's Iraqi Council of Ministers session held its first meeting on Wednesday

The meeting was chaired by Planning Minister Mohammed Ali Tamim and was attended by Minister of Higher Education Naeem al-Aboudi, Construction Minister Bangin Rekani, Health Minister Salih al-Hasnawi, Minister of Industry Khaled Battal Al-Najm, and Justice Minister Khalid Shwani.

The committee reviewed the drafts proposed by both governments and "addressed a number of vital topics, most notably the issue of oil exports and regulatory mechanisms, the volume of domestic consumption of petroleum products, the transfer of the federal treasury's share of non-oil revenues to the region, and the discussion of the tawtin [localization] of salaries for Kurdistan Region employees,” read a statement by the ministry of planning.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Tuesday directed the formation of a committee to investigate the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, particularly over the funding of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servant salaries by the federal government and the issue of resuming the Region’s oil exports.

The committee was tasked with studying the drafts put forth by the two governments, holding meetings with relevant parties on both sides, and then submitting recommendations to the Iraqi Council of Ministers based on their findings to help the council make a final decision regarding the outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi government.

The newly formed committee also emphasized the importance of continued discussions with the aim of reaching a solution that guarantees the rights of the Kurdistan Region's employees "similar to their colleagues in other Iraqi provinces."

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

In a letter addressed to the KRG in late May, Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami said that 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.

The move has prompted civil servants from the Kurdistan Region to file a complaint to the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court, demanding uninterrupted funding of their salaries and timely payment on the agreed-upon dates as per a previous ruling of the court.

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

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