ERBIL () - A meeting between the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Finance and the Iraqi federal Ministry of Finance began in Baghdad on Thursday, to discuss the draft 2027 federal budget and the Kurdistan Region’s financial share.
According to information obtained by correspondent Dilan Barzan in Baghdad, the meeting is focused on reviewing the draft budget law, determining the Kurdistan Region’s share and securing the Region’s financial entitlements in the draft before it is formally submitted to the Council of Ministers and the Iraqi Parliament.
The meeting follows the arrival in Baghdad on Wednesday, Sept. 23, of a technical delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Finance and Economy to begin discussions with federal authorities.
The Kurdistan Region delegation includes the director of the Budget Department, the director of the Accounting Department, an adviser to the Ministry of Finance and several budget experts.
The main focus of the delegation’s technical discussions is to present Erbil’s observations and demands regarding the Kurdistan Region’s share in the upcoming federal budget.
The talks with the federal Finance Ministry form part of broader discussions between Erbil and Baghdad over the Region’s financial entitlements and the inclusion of those rights in the 2027 federal budget.
Earlier this month, a high-level Kurdistan Regional Government delegation briefed the Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers on its meetings with Iraq’s ministries of Finance, Oil and Planning concerning the draft 2027 federal budget law and the Region’s financial entitlements.
The delegation also reported on meetings with representatives of the Kurdistan Region in the Iraqi Parliament and the issues discussed regarding the Region’s financial rights and share in the federal budget.
The Council of Ministers also examined data concerning the Kurdistan Region’s share based on the results of Iraq’s latest population census.
The discussions came as the Kurdistan Regional Government continued negotiations with Baghdad over financial and budgetary issues and efforts to ensure the Region’s constitutional entitlements are reflected in the 2027 federal budget.
Efforts to address the Kurdistan Region’s financial and fuel-related issues have also intensified.
Iraqi Parliament Deputy Speaker Farhad Atrushi said discussions were underway with Baghdad over the Region’s financial entitlements, the timely payment of public-sector salaries and an increase in fuel allocations.
Atrushi said a Kurdistan Region delegation had held several meetings in Baghdad with political parties and representatives of the federal government to ensure the Region’s financial rights and entitlements are addressed in Iraq’s 2027 federal budget.
He said the Region’s proposals concerning the budget, employment and other financial matters had been prepared in draft form and submitted to the Iraqi Council of Ministers. If approved, the proposals would be forwarded to the Iraqi Parliament as draft legislation.
Atrushi noted, however, that the process could take several months due to Iraq’s current political circumstances.
