Kurdistan Signals Progress on Salaries and Oil Files After Baghdad Talks

Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers Diwan head Umid Sabah said talks in Baghdad produced progress on the region’s financial and oil files, including steps toward regular salary funding for public employees on the same basis as the rest of Iraq. He said the Finance Ministry was instructed to finance salaries without discrimination and in a regular manner. On the oil file, Sabah said foreign companies have requested official guarantees because of security tensions and recent attacks. He said Prime Minister Alı Zeydi has pledged to provide those guarantees. The discussions also covered internal revenues, the resumption of oil exports, and the application of the Asikuda system at dams and border crossings. Those issues remain central to relations between Erbil and Baghdad as both sides seek to stabilize revenue flows and administrative procedures. A delegation from the Kurdistan Region Ministry of Natural Resources is expected to travel to Baghdad after the holiday break with representatives of foreign oil companies to discuss the matter in detail. The planned visit is aimed at advancing the outstanding financial and petroleum files through direct consultations.