The letter, which consists of ten points, says that Baghdad’s recent move to stop sending money to Erbil to pay government salaries violates the legal and constitutional rights of public servants in the Region, who have done their jobs same as those in central and southern Iraq and deserve payment, NRT reported.

On April 16, the federal Council of Ministers froze budget transfers to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) after patience ran out with Erbil’s failure to live up to its obligations under the 2019 federal budget law, in particular its refusal to send oil to Baghdad for export.

The letter also notes that Baghdad had not been paying the Region’s full share of the federal budget, even before it cut off all payments. Moreover, it accused Baghdad of failing to pay the salaries of the Peshmerga, which is constitutionally part of Iraq’s defense forces.

The KRG also demanded large amounts of financial compensation for the effects of a previous budget dispute, when budget transfers were were cut off between 2014 and 2019. The letter said that it had been denied $452 billion that it would have been sent during that time.

Additionally, the KRG said that it wanted $384 billion in compensation for damage caused and abuses perpetrated by former Iraqi governments against the Region between 1963 and 2003.

The letter arrived as a delegation of senior KRG representatives was visiting Baghdad for talks with federal officials and foreign diplomats.

Reporter’s code: 50101