“An important and strategic step.” The Minister of Finance of the Kurdistan Region: We held a friend

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“An important and strategic step.” The Minister of Finance of the Kurdistan Region: We held a friendly meeting with Parliamentary Finance with a common understanding

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The Minister of Finance and Economy in the Kurdistan Region, Awat Sheikh Janab, confirmed today, Wednesday (October 18, 2023), that the friendly atmosphere prevailed over the meeting he held today with the Parliamentary Finance Committee and the Federal Minister of Finance, while describing the meeting as an “important and strategic step” in the course of relations. Between Erbil and Baghdad, he stressed that “we had a common understanding on how to settle disputes related to employee salaries and separate this file from other issues. We sensed a friendly and national response and did not witness any obstruction or desire from the Federal Minister of Finance to prevent sending the amount of 700 billion dinars to the region.” .[/size]
[size=45]Sheikh Janab from Baghdad said in a statement to a group of journalists, including our correspondent: “We met today with the Finance Committee and the Federal Minister of Finance as part of our job and the duties assigned to the Kurdistan Regional Government to defend the salaries and benefits of the region’s employees.”[/size]
[size=45]He added: “In a friendly atmosphere, we provided all the necessary data and clarifications, and I can say that to a large extent we had a common understanding on how to settle disputes related to employee salaries, separate this file from other issues, address the problem of actual spending, and keep salaries away from political conflicts.”[/size]
[size=45]He continued: “To a large extent, the data we provided was accepted and we were able to present the reasons for the salary problem frankly and transparently, and we sensed a friendly and patriotic response from the Chairman of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, the members of the committee, and the Federal Minister of Finance, Taif Sami.”[/size]
[size=45]He went on to say: “The opinions of both sides agreed on the necessity of addressing the problems of the region’s employees in a radical manner, through legal remedies and the application of the budget law or actual spending, and it can be said that there was a consensus from all parties on this matter.”[/size]
[size=45]He stated, "We thank them for their patience with us, as the meeting lasted four hours. It was a very friendly and fraternal meeting. We consider it a very important and strategic step for relations between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government. We have agreed with the Finance Committee and the Federal Minister of Finance to intensify such meetings and endeavors."[/size]
[size=45]The Region's Minister of Finance explained, "We agreed to present our proposals during the two subsequent joint meetings because, as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Finance Committee indicated, the Finance Committee cannot change the laws, but it can suggest that, and we will try together to present a common vision in this regard."[/size]
[size=45]Regarding sending the amounts agreed upon with Baghdad, Sheikh Janab said: “We did not notice any obstruction or desire from the Federal Minister of Finance to prevent sending the amount of 700 billion dinars to the Kurdistan Region,” indicating: “We will successively discuss all the outstanding controversial issues.”[/size]
[size=45]The Minister of Finance of the Kurdistan Region, Awat Sheikh Janab, participated today in the meeting of the Parliamentary Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament in the presence of Federal Minister of Finance Taif Sami.[/size]
[size=45]The Regional Ministry of Finance stated in a statement that the meeting of the Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament was held in the presence of the Ministers of Finance of the Region and Iraq, “and the Minister of Finance of the Region and his accompanying delegation responded with numbers and data to all the questions of the members of the committee, regarding expenditures, revenues, and the numbers of staffing of the Region’s employees.”[/size]
[size=45]In addition, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Atwan Al-Atwani, said, “The Parliamentary Finance Committee began the hearing on the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to implementing the budget provisions in the presence of the Federal and Regional Ministers of Finance and the Head of the Financial Supervision Bureau.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Atwani added, “The hosting came to review the facts, as the Finance Committee is charged with monitoring the extent of the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to implementing Article 12 of the Budget Law,” noting: “We represent all segments of the people without discrimination.”[/size]
[size=45]At the invitation of the Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, yesterday, Tuesday, a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government went to the capital, Baghdad, to discuss several common files between Erbil and Baghdad.[/size]
[size=45]The government delegation met late yesterday evening with the Kurdistan blocs and agreed on a single vision regarding the issue of the Kurdistan Region’s rights and its share of the budget.[/size]
[size=45]The delegation included the Minister of Finance and Economy, Awat Sheikh Janab, the Chief of Staff of the Regional Council of Ministers, Omid Sabah, the Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Amanj Rahim, the Head of the Coordination and Monitoring Office, Abdul Hakim Khosrow, and a number of advisors and general directors in the Ministries of Finance and Natural Resources.[/size]
[size=45]The region's Ministry of Finance said in a statement yesterday that Awat Sheikh Janab will review a report on the problems and disputes between Erbil and Baghdad regarding the salaries and budget files, during the special session of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, in the presence of the Federal Minister of Finance, Taif Sami.[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry's statement indicated that the meeting includes submitting complete data on expenditures and revenues for the first six months of 2023 and the numbers of employees in the region to the Parliamentary Finance Committee, after they were audited by the joint delegation of the Financial Supervision Bureaus in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.[/size]
[size=45]The spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government, Bishwa Hawramani, said before the delegation left, “The visit of the Kurdistan Government delegation to Baghdad comes to show the serious intentions of the Regional Government to address the outstanding problems between Erbil and Baghdad,” adding that “the Regional Government is looking for a radical solution to protect the rights of the citizens of Kurdistan.” Within the framework of the Iraqi constitution.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “Prime Minister Masrour Barzani directed the government delegation not to leave any question unanswered, and to cooperate in all transparency.”[/size]


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