With PUK's continuous efforts...Baghdad to send 400 billion dinars to Kurdistan Region

Reports 11:57 AM - 2022-12-14

With PUK's continuous efforts...Baghdad to send 400 billion dinars to Kurdistan Region

The Iraqi Council of Ministers decided to send 400 billion dinars to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

According to the ministerial agenda, 400 billion dinars are to be given to the KRG for November and December of 2022, the Iraqi Minister of Environment, Nizar Amedi, informed PUKMEDIA.

He disclosed that the State Administration Alliance's ministerial agenda had been put to a vote by the Iraqi Parliament's political groups.

Notable is the fact that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was a key player in the formation of the State Administration Alliance.

Earlier, PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani had stated that his group would not make any concessions on the legal and constitutional rights of the people of the Kurdistan Region. In addition, during their first meeting, he gave Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani a briefing on PUK's political platform for government participation, which is linked to the rights and privileges of the region.

PUK team in government: Once again, the government is making authoritarian decisions

The KRG's official website published a statement following the decision to pay the KRG 200 billion dollars, and the PUK team in the government declared that they rejected the statement "because what is said in the statement is viewed as an insult to the team."

PUK’s statement:

"No matter who achieves a goal for the people, the PUK applauds them." "The PUK ministerial team in the ninth government has always prioritized protecting residents' rights, so we respectfully urge the decision to provide the Kurdistan Region with 400 billion dinars."

The PUK team in the KRG's ninth cabinet therefore felt compelled to share the following true information:

1. The KRG delegation, which is currently in Baghdad, is headed by Dara Rashid, the Planning Minister, and Amanj Rahim, Secretary of the Council of Ministers, who are from the PUK team.

2. The 400 billion dinars are based on the agreement of the political parties of the State Administration Alliance that was formed by the Iraqi government and is led by Mr. Mohammed Shia' Sudani.

3. The KRG team, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, reached an agreement with the Iraqi government and parliament on the 2021 budget law, which was the basis for the 400 billion dinars for November and December 2022. The sum of money was agreed upon between the members of the State Administration, and just like other terms of the agreement, it was then carried out by the Iraqi government.

Finally, we would like to reiterate that while it is a pleasure for us and we greatly appreciate the federal government and everyone who contributed to making this right decision, it is unfair to attribute it to a single person and to impose dictatorship in these situations by sidelining the real facts, as is commonly done.

The announcement made on behalf of the KRG on the 400 billion dinars is categorically rejected by us since it is offensive to our team. We, as a significant portion of this government, state that this is not in any way a statement by the KRG but rather a reiteration of the viewpoint of one party in the government. This brand of authoritarianism is what has us concerned and has prompted us to speak up. 

Ministerial Team
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan



Translated from Kurdish by Besha Jawhar, Additional editing by Zareena Younis
PUKMEDIA