Prime Minister Masrour Barzani convenes Council of Ministers
Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) – Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today headed a meeting of the Council of Ministers to discuss recent developments with Iraq and ongoing efforts by the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, heading the delegation leading negotiations with Baghdad, updated the cabinet on the latest progress in talks with the federal government regarding the 2021 federal budget and the Kurdistan Region’s financial entitlements. He also affirmed the delegation will continue pursuing discussions to find a sustainable solution based on the constitution.
As part of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s agenda, the Minister of Finance and Economy, Awat Janab, and the Minister of Planning, Dara Rashid, discussed preparations for the Kurdistan Region’s 2021 budget bill, noting that collected data from most of ministries will help draft a transparent and realistic budget.
During the meeting, Minister Rashid also presented a draft for the Kurdistan Region’s private-public partnership initiative, which was approved following deliberation among the cabinet. The Council also approved a draft law presented by Electricity Minister Kamal Mohammed Salih.
On the subject of the government’s response to the pandemic, Health Minister Saman Barzinji presented a report on the new strand of coronavirus arriving to the Kurdistan Region and the ministry’s plans to curb the spread.
Minister Education Alan Hama Saeed also assured the school year would continue, with strict health measures being taken into account to protect the safety and lives of students, teachers, and school staff.
The Council of Ministers thanked the Ministry of Health and other relevant ministries for their dedication to the health and safety of the people, and urged ministries and government offices to continue following official health guidelines, as well as asked citizens to cooperate with the Kurdistan Regional Government’s measures and guidelines to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus variant.
