ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday stated that the Iraqi federal government’s decision to cut civil servant salaries is an attempt to derail the Region’s prosperity and progress, stressing that Erbil will not, under any circumstances, forego its constitutional rights.

At an event to launch Visit Kurdistan—an ambitious effort to promote tourism and infrastructure development across the Kurdistan Region-, Prime Minister Barzani addressed Baghdad’s “unjustifiable” and “unconstitutional” decision to cut salaries, labeling the move “a collective punishment” of the people of the Region.

“This is part of the politics of pressuring the Kurdistan Region to halt its march toward prosperity and progress,” said the Kurdish premier. “They will definitely not succeed in these efforts.”

The Iraqi finance ministry in late May informed the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that it will suspend funding the Region for the rest of 2025, claiming that Erbil had already exhausted its share of the annual budget.

Baghdad’s decision, deemed “a political decision” by Kurdish authorities, jeopardizes the livelihoods of the Region’s over one million salaried workers for the next eight months.

“In recent years, with the support of the almighty God and the resilience of the people of Kurdistan, we have overcome many difficult circumstances. That is why we assure the people of Kurdistan, that we will never, under any pressure, let go of our constitutional rights.”

Barzani reiterated that Erbil has fulfilled all its constitutional obligations, decrying that Baghdad has failed to respect both the rights of the people of the Kurdistan Region and the agreements signed between the two sides.

“The officials in Baghdad must know that Iraq is a federal country, and the Kurdistan Region is by the constitution a legal and constitutional entity. The Kurdistan Region must be treated within that framework, not through a centralist mindset and collective punishment of the people of Kurdistan,” said the Kurdistan Region prime minister.

KRG officials have frequently criticized Iraq for not fully implementing federalism in the country, and called for respecting the Region’s federal status within the framework of the Iraqi constitution; a call that was echoed by US top officials during Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s May visit to Washington.

“Over the previous century, successive ruling regimes in Baghdad have employed fire and steel and used every weapon to confront the rights and wishes of the people of Kurdistan. However, these politics and treatments, have yielded no benefits for Iraq except causing destruction and devastation,” Barzani added.

Barzani called on Baghdad to stop its “perverse politics” of starving the people of the Kurdistan Region and denying their rights, adding that Erbil will continue its efforts to swiftly resolve these issues in a way that benefits all parties.

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.

The KRG has also repeatedly urged the Iraqi federal government not to use political issues between the two governments as an excuse to punish the Kurdistan Region’s civil servant salaries by withholding salaries.