SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Sunday met with members of parliament’s committee of finance for talks on the federal budget for 2021.
Earlier on Sunday, lawmaker Shirwan Mirza said the committee of finance would hold a meeting with Kadhimi to discuss changes the committee made in the draft budget law.
Kadhimi said the draft budget law aimed at financial and economic reform and support for vital sectors, which address “a large part of the problems of the Iraqi economy that has been suffering for decades”, his office said in a statement.
He also referred to the “importance of investment in the recent increase in oil prices in a manner that contributes to reducing the burden on citizens” in the federal budget bill, submitted to parliament for a vote, the statement read.
“The country is currently facing many challenges, and we are working hard to do reform and put Iraq’s economy on the right track,” Kadhimi was cited as saying.
Mirza, who is also a member of the finance committee, said the committee would also meet with Iraqi finance minister Ali Allawi and the minister of planning.
“No changes have been made in the Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget. It needs an agreement before the budget is voted on,” Mirza noted.
A Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani paid several visits to Baghdad for talks on the Region’s share of the federal budget with the committee of finance and political parties.
Despite a series of meetings, the delegation has yet to make a deal with members of the Iraqi Council of Representatives to finalize a deal reached with Iraqi federal government’s officials regarding the Region’s share of the federal budget for 2021.
Talabani and Iraqi Finance Minister Ali Allawi said in December that Erbil and Baghdad had reached an agreement over the 2021 federal budget bill.
The draft budget law commits the Kurdistan Region to hand over 250,000 barrels of oil per day and 50% of non-oil revenue to Baghdad in exchange for the Region’s share of the budget.
*This story was updated at 02:44 p.m. EBL time
