28 April 2020 - 23:14

Kurdistan Region delegation visits Baghdad to discuss budget transfer freeze

<p style="text-align: left;">A delegation of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) negotiators arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday, April 28, for talks over the federal government's move to freeze budget transfers to the KRG.

According to NRT the KRG delegation will meet with caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdu Mahdi and Oil Minister Thamir Ghadhban, among others.

Its schedule also includes meetings with a number of foreign ambassadors.

According to reports, the delegation consists of KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, Minister of Finance Awat Janab, Minister of State Khalid Shwani, and Minister of Planning Dara Rashid.

Between the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, slumping global oil prices, and the freeze on cash transfers, the KRG is facing a major fiscal shortfall and may be unable to make payroll if the issue is not resolved soon. Baghdad's reason for cutting off the budget transfers was Erbil's refusal for more than a year to transfer 250,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Baghdad for export.

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