ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday welcomed the Iraqi federal government's approval of a draft agreement seeking to end the Kurdistan Region's civil servant salary crisis.

The Iraqi Council of Ministers in an extraordinary session on Thursday approved the deal, with the Kurdistan Region's finance ministry saying that the Region's public sector employees will receive their May salaries in the next three to five days.

Prime Minister Barzani said that "we welcome this step and, accordingly, await the federal government's release of salaries and financial dues to the Region," adding that "the Kurdistan Regional Government has demonstrated maximum flexibility and has been committed to fulfilling all its obligations."

"We also hope that the issue of salaries and dues, as they are the legitimate rights of the people of Kurdistan, will be separated from any political disputes or problems, and that all outstanding issues will be resolved within the framework of the constitution and in compliance with signed agreements," Barzani continued.

The Kurdish leader also recognized the plight of the Region's civil servants who have gone without pay, expressing his "deep gratitude to our people for their patience and resilience under the harsh conditions they have endured for several months."

Barzani also commented on a recent wave of drone attacks on oil facilities in the Region, emphasizing "the need to put an end to the terrorist attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region, especially the oil fields" and expressing the Kurdistan Regional Government's hopes that "the federal government will cooperate in uncovering the saboteurs and taking the necessary legal action against them."

Thursday's decision came after the Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers on Wednesday said they had reached “a joint understanding” with the federal government to hand over oil and non-oil revenues to Baghdad in exchange for the latter resuming the payment of the Kurdistan Region's financial entitlements, coming after months of negotiations to resolve the crisis.

In late May, the Iraqi government said it 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, and accused the Kurdistan Region of not abiding by the budget law.