Wafa Mohammed Karim, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, explained on Thursday that talks between the Kurdistan Region’s delegation and Iraqi officials in Baghdad are focused on the federal budget, the region’s share of funding, oil revenues, and public services.
Karim told dinaropinions.com that the Kurdistan delegations are visiting Baghdad to reach an agreement on the budget and increase the region’s share to 14.14%, based on its population percentage in the latest national census.
He added that another major issue is the amount of oil revenue the Kurdistan Region must transfer to Baghdad. He said oil companies would not be able to provide the required 450,000 barrels per day while meeting the government’s revenue demands.
Karim also pointed out that the region previously received around 16 trillion dinars, but that amount has now dropped to 13 trillion dinars. He said both sides are working to reach an understanding on these financial issues.
He added that discussions also cover public services in the Kurdistan Region and the money needed to provide them.
Karim stressed that the budget will not receive approval if the region’s share and its percentage of funding remain unchanged.