SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has criticized consecutive Iraqi governments for failing to conduct a long-overdue referendum in Kirkuk and other disputed areas, as mandated by Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution.
In a statement released early Monday, the KRG emphasized that “the federal government was constitutionally required to hold the referendum by December 31, 2007.” This failure constitutes a violation of the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region, the statement read.
The KRG also accused Baghdad of signing oil and gas contracts without adhering to Articles 140 and 112 of the constitution. It asserted its constitutional authority to manage newly discovered oil and gas fields, while Article 112 requires joint management of previously discovered resources in the disputed territories.
The statement reiterated the KRG’s commitment to defending its constitutional rights through all available means, pledging to enforce laws that protect the rights of the Kurdistan Region and its people, including those in Kirkuk.
The release coincides with recent high-level engagements involving Kurdish leadership. President Nechirvan Barzani attended the State Administration Coalition meeting in Baghdad on Sunday, while Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara last week.
The State Administration Coalition has declared that 2025 will mark the end of the current Iraqi Parliament’s term, emphasizing that resolving the Kurdistan Region’s delayed December salaries for civil servants is a technical challenge, not a political dispute. The announcement… pic.twitter.com/YMQGBCkBSA
— Zoom News (@zoomnewskrd) January 12, 2025
Meanwhile, disputes persist between Baghdad and Erbil over oil and non-oil revenues, as well as the financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Region. Civil servants in the Region have not been paid since December, an issue the State Administration Coalition insists must be resolved technically, not politically.
The coalition, during its regular meeting in Baghdad, voiced support for economic reforms and reiterated Iraq’s policy of neutrality in regional and international conflicts.
Following an extraordinary session on Saturday, the Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers criticized Baghdad’s policy towards the Region, describing it as “unfair and contradictory” to the Iraqi constitution and incompatible with the federal system. The Council stressed the urgent need to amend this policy, which it believes undermines the Region’s rights and standing.
The Kurdistan Region has decided to dispatch a committee of Kurdish ministers and lawmakers to Baghdad following an extraordinary meeting, aiming to address concerns over the Iraqi government withholding the Region's financial entitlements and to secure monthly salary payments… pic.twitter.com/Tz42H1X6Kf
— Zoom News (@zoomnewskrd) January 12, 2025