ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s Second Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Shakhawan Abdullah, a Kurd, warned of a reaction that the Iraqi government “will not like” if Baghdad's failure to pay the Kurdistan Region’s civil servant salaries persists going forward.

“No legal basis has remained, cleaning up the salary list, MyAccount, the Federal Supreme Court’s decision for disbursing salaries, none of these remain [an issue],” Abdullah told The New Region, arguing that the issue is political when it persists despite all of the Iraqi government’s “excuses” being addressed.

Salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants and the Region’s share of the federal budget have long been a point of contention between the federal and regional governments.

Years of conflict and unresolved issues between Erbil and Baghdad, and economic sanctions and pressure on Erbil by federal authorities, have pushed employees in the Region to live from paycheck to paycheck.

“They [Iraq] have understood that if they continue with these problems that they raise for us, our reaction will certainly not be good, and they will not like it,” the deputy speaker said, adding that they have made this abundantly clear during an April meeting where the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani was also present.

In January, Barzani led an irregular meeting of the Council of Ministers with Kurdish ministers in the federal government and heads of parliamentary blocs in the Iraqi parliament, aimed at discussing the next steps for the Kurdish representation in the political process in Baghdad amid ongoing budget issues.

The premier tasked the Kurdish federal ministers with informing Baghdad that Erbil needs guarantees that 2025 salaries will be paid without any issues and demands its full share of the budget starting in 2026, warning of a firmer stance otherwise.

“The subject of [civil servant] salaries can no longer be used as a political tactic,” said Abdullah. “This subject has reached the last stage of crime against the Regional Government, and we will not put up with it.”

Iraq’s reservations about sending the Kurdistan Region’s civil servant salaries have sparked outcries by multiple notable Kurdish politicians over the years who have demanded fair treatment from Baghdad and their constitutional rights.

“Are you going to continue with your central mentality and centralized administration of the country? This we reject,” Abdullah stressed. “If you are going to continue ignoring the constitution, then you have to be upfront with us, because we base our behavior with you on these grounds.”