ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Sunday that relations between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region are expected to improve under the newly-formed cabinet, stressing that the current political phase is different and focused on stability and service delivery.
Speaking to Rudaw's Ziad Ismael during a ceremony marking his reappointment as foreign minister, Hussein expressed optimism that "the relationship between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad will improve,” adding that they are "all working for the success of this government so that it can serve the people of Iraq."
Hussein is a Kurd and affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
His remarks come as Iraq’s new government under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi continues to take shape following a confidence vote in parliament on Thursday. Lawmakers approved the cabinet program and 14 ministers, while votes on nine key portfolios, including defense and interior, were postponed.
The political backdrop in Iraq also includes efforts to stabilize relations between Baghdad and Erbil after years of disputes over budget transfers and civil servant salaries.
Following the formation of the new cabinet, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Friday reaffirmed the Region’s “full readiness to work jointly with the federal government on the basis of the constitution, genuine partnership, and balance, with the aim of resolving all outstanding issues and ensuring and protecting the constitutional rights of all components.”
Separately, KDP lawmaker Ashwaq Jaff said that the long-standing salary dispute between Erbil and Baghdad had been included in the new government’s program following political understandings.
“An agreement has been reached to address the stalled salaries of civil servants in the Kurdistan Region,” Jaff told Rudaw on Friday, adding that the issue was incorporated into the ministerial program after discussions involving party leadership.
The salary dispute remains one of the most persistent financial crises between the two sides, rooted in disagreements over oil exports and non-oil revenues. Baghdad has frequently delayed or reduced monthly payments to the Kurdistan Region, affecting more than one million civil servants and contributing to significant economic strain and unpaid arrears estimated at around $21 billion.
Hussein also addressed regional diplomatic challenges, noting that recent instability caused by the US-Israel war with Iran had affected Iraq’s external relations, particularly with Gulf states.
“In recent weeks, relations - particularly with the Gulf countries - fell victim to the regional war. Strengthening those ties is a priority for the ministry; we will work immediately to repair those relations. Ties were not severed, but some problems occurred recently, prior to the formation of this government. God willing, we are in the process of improving these relations,” he said.
