SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Co-leader Bafel Talabani said the party’s priority is to secure salaries of public servants and the Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements.
The PUK co-leader met with French Consul-General in Erbil Olivier Decottignies in Erbil on Tuesday, according to his office.
Both sides discussed the latest political and economic developments in the region, the statement read.
“The PUK will use its efforts and internal and international relations to secure people’s salaries and the Kurdistan Region’s constitution rights,” Talabani said during the meeting.
Talabani stressed that the PUK “now works for the success of reform program and for making fundamental changes in managing and administrating the Region.”
The Kurdistan Region is facing an economic crisis due to falling of oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic as well as disputes with the federal government, which led to the halt of sending salaries to the Region.
As a large portion of the Region’s revenue relies exclusively on oil exports, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has failed to pay salaries of the months of April, May, June, July, August and November to its civil servants.
A high-level delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani visits Baghdad on Wednesday in an effort to reach an agreement with the federal government over the Region’s share of the federal budget for 2021.
