Statement from Prime Minister Masrour Barzani

At the swearing in ceremony before the Kurdistan Parliament three years, I took an oath to uphold the constitution of Kurdistan, protect the interest of all our beloved citizens, and to apply the highest standards of integrity and accountability in performing my duties as the Prime Minister of the nineth cabinet. Since day one, we have strived to remove all the marks of a two-administration zones in the Kurdistan Region, and instead apply uniformity where every decision taken by the government is implemented everywhere, equally.

In the Kurdistan Region, neither partisan nor personal interests should interfere with or prevent the implementation of the government’s mission, initiatives, and programs. I view the entire Kurdistan Region equally and hold myself responsible for its citizens living in all the provinces and independent administrations. Unfortunately, the KRG has been blocked from executing its authority, resulting in harming the livelihoods of our citizens.

For nearly two years, there have been persistent financial issues, such as the collection of revenue and reserves, with the banking system in Suleymania, Garmiyan, Halabja and Raparin. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Interior formed a special committee to investigate the problem. Unfortunately, the findings of the investigation revealed that some people and parties interfere in the process of revenue collection for personal gains. This harms our citizens and our government institutions.

Transparency requires that the government itself is responsible for the entirety of the revenue collection process. Since the beginning of my cabinet, we have been trying to reorganize the revenues of the region and have achieved significant successes.

Dear citizens,

Recently, there has been a great deal of misinformation and disinformation spread by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). As our key partner in the government, they claim that my administration has imposed an embargo on the province of Suleymania. All experts who are aware of the financial situation of the Kurdistan Region know that oil revenues and the occasional Kurdistan share of the federal budget sent from Baghdad are distributed on an equal basis and expended on the salaries of civil servants. With respect to non-oil internal revenues of the Kurdistan Region, the majority of which includes revenues from border crossings, the PUK leadership has regrettably not permitted the government’s reform agenda to proceed in Suleymania, Halabja and Garmiyan and Raparin.

If the interests of our citizens are put above political party gains, solutions to problems are easy to implement. We have a comprehensive plan to solve this issue and have already taken practical steps to address it. The Council of Ministers issued a decree to deploy joint forces to the border crossings, but the PUK has threatened that such a move will cause a civil war.

At this time, these issues have been used to divert attention from the assassination of Hawkar Jaff inside the capital of the Kurdistan Region. The Kurdistan Region and the Peshmerga have served as symbols of confronting terrorism and intimidation. We do not resort to terrorism to solve problems.

Regarding this case, we have not made any accusations of any political parties. Instead, we have called for the rule of law to be applied and the suspects who have committed this murder to be brought to justice. For this reason, an official letter has been sent to the relevant authorities in Suleymania. Since the beginning, we have called for a joint committee to conduct a thorough investigation, including the participation of third parties, such as an international agency. Unfortunately, there has been no response to this request. The root of the problem is not finances or revenue sharing with Suleymania. The issue is that we are being asked to stay silent on the assassination case of Hawkar Jaff, which is an unjust demand and unfair to the citizens of the Kurdistan Region.

The situation in the Kurdistan Region requires us to reflect and work on our problems through dialogue. For the sake of public interest and in order to move forward; I put forward the following requests:

First, in the assassination case of Hawkar Jaff, which is the key factor behind current tensions, I call for the suspects to be handed over to the courts first, then form a joint committee of relevant institutions to tinvestigate the matter.

Second, at the beginning of the ninth cabinet, there were calls for decentralization and localizing authority to provinces with regards to revenues and expenses. That was done. But now the PUK's ministerial team is calling for the centralization of the expenditures. If this is demanded, revenue collection should also be centralized. The revenue collection process, especially at border crossings, should be under government supervision. For this purpose, there should be coordination between the Ministries of Finance, Interior and Peshmerga to prevent smuggling and access to border revenues. The formation of a joint force for this purpose is essential.

Third, there should be no obstacles to our reform agenda as well as the unification of Peshmerga forces. In this cabinet, we have taken steps to reform the Peshmerga Ministry and unite the forces. The Peshmerga must become a strong national force to defend the constitution of our region and remove threats, away from the influence of party and individual agendas.

Fourth, for the sake of the public interest and the democratic process, the Kurdistan Region Parliament should hold a session as soon as possible to reactivate the High Election Commission. Practical steps must be taken to hold elections this year and the KRG is fully prepared to assist and comply with all the electoral requirements.

Fifth, the political parties participating in the government, should support the KRG. They cannot be in the government while playing an opposition role. Ministers and ministerial teams should implement the government's agenda, not bring political problems into the government’s work. Political problems should be resolved outside the government, to not disrupt the work of the government.

Masrour Barzani
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Government
January 15, 2023