Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV-KRD) - Presided over by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers convened on Tuesday, 30 July 2019.

The meeting was opened by the Prime Minister’s remarks on the negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad; delegations from both sides met last week to discuss three main topics: the disputed territories, budgetary and financial issues and oil and gas. It was announced that several technical committees have been established go lead on each of these key areas.

The Council of Ministers also discussed the establishment of a Civil Service Council to reor-ganize public servants’ affairs, a commitment outlined in the cabinet agenda.

In future, all government revenues will be channeled and audited through the Ministry of Finance and Economy, rather than being handled on an individual basis by ministries, boards, and institutions. This will enable the KRG to keep a tighter control on expenditure, rationalizing budget allocations and cutting waste.

The Council of Ministers also began to review a new draft law regulating government pen-sions, salaries and allowances. This law will ensure that public sector employees receive their correct entitlements. After further discussion, this bill will be presented to the Parlia-ment of Kurdistan.

Finally, the Council of Ministers tasked the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism, Health, Interior and the Board of Environment to prepare rules and regulations to enhance the pro-tection of locals and tourists in the Kurdistan Region’s tourist resorts.

30 Jul 2019