ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji said Thursday that the Iraqi government is committed to solving problems with the Kurdistan Region, including the long-standing issue of public sector salaries.

Speaking at the tomb of Kurdish leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani in the Region's Barzan area, Araji said, “Under the direction of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, we visited the Kurdistan Region and met with President Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani, and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani,” adding that “we discussed many important topics.”

“The prime minister values the relationship with the Kurdistan Region,” Araji said. “We are serious about ending all issues, especially the salary file.”

"This is an entitlement, and the Iraqi government has formed a high-level ministerial committee to find a solution as soon as possible," he continued.

He added that all sides agreed on the need to find real and lasting solutions to the problems between Baghdad and Erbil, based on the Iraqi constitution and current laws.

A statement subsequently released by Araji's media office said that he "laid a wreath at the shrine of the late Mulla Mustafa Barzani and recited Surat Al-Fatiha in memory of the late freedom fighter Mulla Mustafa Barzani, praising his role... and his struggle for freedom and dignity."

"Mr. al-Araji emphasized that the former regime committed the most heinous crimes against all Iraqis without exception, and that we must look to the future and move forward to build peace and stability, preserve Iraq's unity, and provide justice for the victims of the former regime," the statement continued.

Araji arrived in the Kurdistan Region on Wednesday. His talks with regional leaders also covered recent developments in Iraq and the region, the Baghdad-Erbil relationship, and a security deal with Iran to protect the country's border.

They also discussed the situation following the Kurdistan Workers’ Party's (PKK) dissolution ahead of the first official disarmament ceremony that is set to be held in Sulaimani on Friday.

The recent suspension of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servant salaries by the Iraqi finance ministry has sparked outrage among the Region’s public and officials alike, 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, a move prompting the Kurdish government and civil servants to file complaints to the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court against the decision by the federal government. 

Last week, spokesperson of the KRG Peshawa Hawramani said 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.