At a Glance

• Kurdish ministers urged unified legislative and executive backing to secure regional rights in the 2027 federal budget.
• The draft budget law has reached the Council of Ministers, but an official review session has not yet been held.
• Officials emphasized the sensitivity of the current period due to the highly limited timeframe available to finalize the budget text.
• The KRG delegation plans to meet with all Kurdish ministers and parliamentary blocs in Baghdad to consolidate political leverage.

Following a high-level meeting in Baghdad on Monday, KRG Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs Abdullah Haji Mahmood and Iraqi Minister of Environment Srwa Abdulwahid issued a joint call for unified Kurdish legislative and executive backing to secure the Kurdistan Region's constitutional rights and financial entitlements within the upcoming federal budget.

---

Key Statements and Focus Area

• Abdullah Haji Mahmood, KRG Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs, stated, “We want the Kurdish representatives in Baghdad—both legislative and executive, including the presidency and His Excellency the President of the Republic—to support the demands of the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs.”
• Srwa Abdulwahid, Iraqi Minister of Environment, affirmed, “Certainly, as Kurdish representatives in Baghdad, we will respond to every demand of the people of Kurdistan, especially political prisoners.”

---

Speaking to reporters on Monday, KRG Minister Abdullah Haji Mahmood emphasized “the critical and sensitive” nature of the current period, noting the limited timeframe available for preparing the draft budget while calling for solidarity and backing.

He noted that the KRG delegation visited the Minister of Environment to convey their demands to the relevant parties, adding that they plan to meet with all Kurdish ministers and parliamentary blocs “to ensure the rights and financial entitlements of the victims of the Kurdistan people are secured.”

Speaking alongside the minister, Srwa Abdulwahid, a Kurdish minister in the Iraqi government, stated, "We can consolidate our strength and capabilities to ensure these demands of the ministry and Kurdish delegation succeed."

“The budget has reached the Council of Ministers, but no meeting has been held yet,” she confirmed.

She emphasized that the Kurdistan Region must attain all of its constitutional rights, expressing hope that all parties will adhere to the budget law once it is passed.

She added that they insist on a specific budget for the Kurdistan Region despite differing views within the negotiations, affirming that they will "align with the direction that protects the rights of the Kurdistan Region."

FYI

A high-level Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation has arrived in Baghdad to secure financial entitlements and stipend equalization for over 25,000 political prisoners and martyrs' families within the 2027 federal budget.

Concurrently, the KRG has requested that Baghdad extend the retirement age for employed political prisoners from 60 to 65 years. 

These diplomatic maneuvers build upon a prior visit to Baghdad in late June by a Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs delegation, during which Kurdish officials submitted the files of 25,868 political prisoners to the Iraqi Political Prisoners Foundation to secure equalized monthly stipends and benefits.

Yesterday, Iraq's Ministerial Council for the Economy officially approved the draft 2027 budget and referred the legislation directly to the Council of Ministers for final government review 

Iraqi Finance Minister Faleh al-Sari legislative approval follow several sessions during which representatives from federal ministries, the Kurdistan Region, and Iraqi provinces, alongside domestic and international financial experts hosted

In the meantime, the Kurdistan Regional Government has launched intensive internal technical preparations along with the Iraqi government to solidify its financial allocations before the final draft text reaches Baghdad, focusing its official 2027 budget demands on reversing austerity by securing a 14.14% population share and removing the restrictive "actual expenditure" clause.

KRG Seeks Baghdad Budget Rights For Political Prisoners And Martyrs' Families 

Erbil-Baghdad Budget Talks Progress, KRG Delegation Member Says 

KRG Rejects 12.68% Population Cap, Demanding Census-Approved 14.14% Budget Share