Al-Mandalawi and Zebari emphasize coordinating efforts to address outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil

Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, and member of the Political Bureau and head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s command center in Baghdad, Hoshyar Zebari, affirmed on Wednesday evening the coordination of efforts to address outstanding issues between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region.

This came during Al-Mandalawi’s reception of a delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party headed by Zebari in the capital, Baghdad, according to a statement from Al-Mandalawi’s media office received by Shafaq News Agency.

According to the statement, both sides stressed the importance of coordinating efforts among the various political parties to overcome the current challenges and find the necessary solutions for all outstanding issues between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region, in accordance with the approved constitutional frameworks, in a way that enhances political stability and serves the national interest.

In turn, the delegation congratulated Al-Mandalawi on assuming the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs, stressing the Kurdistan Region’s support for the government of Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi and its actions at the local, Arab and regional levels, which contribute to strengthening the country’s stability and enhancing its sovereignty and international standing.

Shafaq.com

Employees and retirees complain about the mechanism for granting loans from Al-Rafidain Bank and demand disclosure of the application criteria.

On Thursday, a number of employees and retirees expressed their dissatisfaction with the mechanism for granting financial loans through the electronic application approved by Al-Rafidain Bank, noting that the application witnesses a great surge as soon as the application is opened, before it stops receiving applications within five minutes or less, which limits the beneficiaries’ chances of completing the application procedures and obtaining the loan. ReadDaily News

Employees and retirees told Shafaq News Agency that the short application period and the limited number of applications that the application can accommodate raise questions about the criteria for providing loans and the mechanism for selecting beneficiaries.

They called for the adoption of clearer and fairer procedures that would ensure equal opportunities for employees and retirees.

In a related context, informed sources revealed suspicions regarding the exploitation by some parties outside the bank of citizens’ need for loans, by facilitating access to them in exchange for sums of money, as well as allegations of understandings between some bank employees and external parties to achieve financial benefits.

These claims still need to be verified by the relevant regulatory authorities.

The sources raised questions about the nature of the relationship between Rafidain Bank and those entities, particularly regarding the distribution of roles and responsibilities in receiving applications, the extent of the bank’s supervision of the application procedures and granting of loans, as well as the fees and commissions resulting from the related financial transactions.

She demanded clarification of the entity responsible for managing the application process and identifying beneficiaries, and an announcement of the criteria adopted in choosing between them, stressing the need to subject all procedures to auditing and oversight to prevent any illegal practices or exploitation of citizens’ need for loans.

Regarding the announced numbers of loans, the sources raised questions about the statements circulating about the possibility of granting about 100,000 loans, demanding clarification of the size of the available financial allocations and their funding sources, the timetable for distribution, and the entity responsible for auditing applications and following up on their implementation.

She stressed the importance of addressing the technical problems facing the application and expanding its capacity to accommodate requests, in order to ensure that no applicant is given an advantage over others, in addition to publishing details of fees and commissions, the mechanism for calculating them, and the entities benefiting from them.

An informed source told Shafaq News Agency on October 23 that Rafidain Bank had launched loans for employees and retirees in amounts of 5 million and 10 million dinars, with an annual interest rate of 6%, to be repaid over five years.

The source explained that applications for loans are available electronically through the “Super Key” application, as part of the move towards enhancing digital banking services and simplifying procedures for employees and retirees, enabling them to submit their applications without needing to visit bank branches.

Shafaq.com

Baghdad leads the way… 4.8 million fiber optic internet lines and 41.9 million mobile subscribers in Iraq

The total capacity of the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network in Iraq recorded an increase during 2025, coinciding with the continued growth of communications and internet services, while the number of post offices maintained the same level as in the previous year.

According to the 2025 Communications and Postal Statistics Report issued by the Directorate of Transport and Communications Statistics, the total capacity of the optical access network reached 4.8574 million lines, compared to 3.4396 million lines in 2024, an increase of 41.2%.

The data showed that Baghdad Governorate recorded the highest telephone density for the fiber optic access network, at 21.2 per 100 people, followed by Kirkuk Governorate at 18.1%, then Maysan at 14.5%, while the telephone density for the network at the level of Iraq, excluding the Kurdistan Region, reached 12.3 per 100 people. Iraqeconomic update

In the telecommunications sector, the number of subscribers to mobile phone lines for companies operating in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, excluding Korek, reached 41.9 million subscribers during 2025, while the telephone density for these lines reached 90.8 per 100 people.

The number of subscribers to mobile internet service for companies operating in Iraq, excluding Korek, reached 24 million, while the number of actual subscribers to wireless telephone lines belonging to the General Company for Communications and Informatics (Al Nakheel Company) reached 526,000 subscribers.

In the postal sector, the number of post offices in Iraq reached 277 during the year 2025, which is the same number recorded in 2024.

The total number of international postal parcels reached 9,578 parcels, of which 7,274 were incoming parcels and 2,304 were outgoing parcels.

The number of depositors in savings funds in Iraq decreased to 72,000 depositors during 2025, compared to 81,000 depositors in 2024, a decrease of 11.1%.

Shafaq.com

The Central Bank denies issuing a list of political figures for vetting.

The Central Bank of Iraq denied on Thursday issuing an audit list for political figures, stating in a statement that “what has been circulated by some news sites and social media platforms regarding its request to audit the accounts of specific political figures is completely false.” Iraqeconomic update

He added that “what is being published in this regard does not reflect the nature of his work and his institutional procedures,” calling on “the media and users of social media platforms to be accurate and obtain information from official sources, and to avoid circulating unreliable news.”

He also stressed that “the oversight and auditing procedures he undertakes are within his usual institutional duties, and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and do not carry any political dimensions or motives.”

Burathanews.com

Al-Fariji: The revenue generated from the change in the exchange rate does not represent a profit.

Crisis expert Ali Al-Fariji confirmed that the revenue generated from the increase in the dollar exchange rate against the dinar does not represent a net gain added to the state treasury.

Al-Fariji told Al-Maalouma that “raising the exchange rate of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar in the local markets may provide quick liquidity, but it does not represent a financial reform in itself.”

He added that “real reform lies in building a multi-source revenue system, recovering funds and assets, reducing waste, and transforming the economy from dependence on oil and dollar pricing to financial management that measures results and creates real and sustainable revenues for the state.”

He explained that “the 19.2 trillion dinars expected to be generated from the dollar’s revaluation should be viewed as an approximate total book revenue, not a net gain added to the state treasury, because part of its impact may rebound on the state itself in the form of increased spending and import costs.”

Almaalomah.me

The dilemma of wealth and justice: The 2027 budget renews the dispute between Baghdad and Erbil.

The issue of the Kurdistan Region’s share of the federal budget remains at the heart of Iraq’s persistent financial crises, with political and economic conflicts resurfacing with each review of the budget items.

Parliamentary and public opposition is mounting against any move to increase Erbil’s financial allocations at the expense of the central and southern provinces, particularly oil-producing and impoverished regions. There are growing demands to subject the distribution of wealth to the principles of constitutional justice and national equity to protect vital service projects across the country.

These voices warn against the consequences of reducing the entitlements of provinces that contribute significantly to the federal treasury with oil revenues and the most deprived areas, arguing that any imbalance in this financial system perpetuates injustice and directly harms the infrastructure of the population.

In this context, Member of Parliament Rabie al-Moussawi categorically rejected any move to increase the Kurdistan Region’s financial allocations in the federal budget at the expense of reducing the entitlements of oil-producing and impoverished provinces, emphasizing that the distribution of wealth must adhere to the principles of constitutional justice and national equity.

Al-Moussawi told Al-Maalomah News Agency, “It is unacceptable and illogical to increase the Kurdistan Region’s budget at a time when allocations for the central and southern provinces are being significantly reduced, especially those that bear the greatest burden in supplying the federal treasury with oil revenues.” He explained that “these financial policies perpetuate injustice and harm vital projects and services for citizens.”

He added, “The provinces classified as the poorest and those that produce oil are suffering from deteriorating infrastructure and suffocating environmental and health crises, and they are waiting for justice through increased investment allocations, not cuts.” He pointed out that “Parliament will not allow the passage of any political settlements that negatively affect the rights and entitlements of the people in those deprived provinces.”
Al-Moussawi stressed “the necessity of obligating the Kurdistan Region to fulfill all its oil and financial commitments and deliver revenues to Baghdad before demanding any increase, while adopting population ratios and poverty levels as criteria for distributing the general budget.”

From Erbil, Ikhlas al-Dulaimi, a member of the Finance Committee and a representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc, confirmed that no general agreement had been reached on the draft federal budget law for 2027, despite its presentation during yesterday’s meeting of the State Administration Coalition.

Al-Dulaimi stated, in a statement reported by Al-Maalouma News Agency, that the draft budget requires some amendments, noting the current lack of a government agreement between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, in addition to objections regarding the region’s share of the budget.

She added that, according to her calculations, the Kurdistan Region’s share would be approximately 6% of the total budget, not 12.67%, clarifying that the region’s share amounts to 12.8 trillion dinars out of 217 trillion dinars in the draft budget law.
Al-Dulaimi explained that the current stage requires a return to the negotiating table to discuss the draft law and establish a solid foundation for reaching an agreement before it is voted on in the Cabinet and sent to Parliament.

She indicated that there is no specific date set for sending the draft budget law to Parliament, noting that this depends on reaching a political agreement on it and its approval by the Cabinet.

Almaalomah.me

Syrian President: Iraq’s borders are completely secure, we have joint coordination, and there is no threat to our two countries.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa confirmed on Tuesday evening that the border with Iraq is completely secure and that there is joint coordination, noting that there is no organization that poses risks or a threat to either country. Iraqeconomic update

Al-Sharaa said in a televised interview on Dijlah TV, which was monitored by Shafaq News Agency, that “the social relations between Syria and Iraq are historical and the fate of the two countries is linked together,” noting that “the relationship between countries should not be subject to whims but rather to rules that regulate it.”

He continued: “We share many ties with Iraq, including water, and relations should be built on these commonalities,” stressing that “the commonalities between Iraq and Syria should be built in a way that makes them difficult to unravel.”

He added that “Syria is considered Iraq’s gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, whether we are two countries or one country,” explaining that “Iraq’s oil needs export gateways, and our Mediterranean ports are the best destination for it.”

He pointed out that “Syria will be a route to link the port of Faw to the Mediterranean and Iraq will be a corridor between us and Saudi Arabia,” welcoming the visit of Prime Minister Ali al-Zubaidi.

Al-Sharaa continued, saying: “We congratulated him when he assumed office, and since our arrival in Damascus, Baghdad’s policies have been positive despite attempts by some parties to take different positions.”

He explained that “Syria does not view Iraq from a sectarian perspective, and we have many commonalities. The first investment in Syria in its new era was by our Iraqi brothers,” noting that “the agricultural area between Syria and Iraq represents a food basket for the entire region, as the area, estimated at about 100 million dunams of shared agricultural land extending from Syria to Iraq, is capable of feeding about 130 million people.”

He noted that “the handover of ISIS members to Iraq took place at a sensitive time, and among them were 3,000 Syrians. We exchanged talks with the Iraqi judiciary regarding the return of the Syrian ISIS members.”

Regarding his time in Iraq, he said, “My position on the American occupation of Iraq was not based on any organizational or affiliation ties, and I did not interfere in any sectarian conflict in Iraq after the events of 2003. I also did not attack any civilian, unarmed person, or anything like that during my time in Iraq. I was released from prison in Iraq in 2011 and returned to Syria at the beginning of the Syrian revolution.”

Regarding the Iraqi government’s efforts to control weapons and combat corruption, the Syrian president said, “The multiplicity of arms and factions weakens the state instead of protecting it, and political forces should support the path of controlling weapons adopted by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who is determined to fight corruption, and the Iraqis should support him.”

Shafaq.com

The budget crisis between Baghdad and Erbil: Where does the obstacle to a settlement lie?

The roots of the financial and oil dispute between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region go back to 2005, while the beginning of 2014 marked a turning point when Baghdad cut off the region’s share of the budget, and the crisis continued due to disagreements over oil and non-oil revenues, salaries, and the mechanism for calculating financial entitlements.

Despite the frequent visits of technical delegations between Baghdad and Erbil, settlements continue to be hampered by differing positions on mutual obligations, amid calls for a legal and institutional mechanism to end the recurrence of the crisis with each annual budget.

Roots of the dispute

The roots of the crisis began with differing interpretations of the articles of the 2005 Iraqi Constitution relating to the management of oil and gas, and then deepened in 2007 after the Kurdistan Region passed a special law for oil and gas and signed contracts with foreign companies, which Baghdad objected to. Iraqeconomic update

The dispute reached a more acute stage in January 2014, when the federal government cut the region’s share of the budget, which amounted to 17%, due to the region’s independent export of oil through Turkey, without coordinating with the Iraqi oil marketing company “SOMO”.

Since then, the crisis has not been limited to the region’s share of public spending, but has extended to the management of oil resources, the delivery of revenues, payments to foreign companies, the financing of employee salaries, and the determination of non-oil revenues that must be transferred to the federal treasury.

In March 2023, an international arbitration ruling concerning oil exports through Türkiye halted exports from the region, further complicating negotiations on resuming exports and settling financial obligations between the two parties.

Accumulation of crises

In this context, Jamal Kojar, a member of the Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, believes that the continuation of the crisis is due to the lack of seriousness in reaching solutions, as well as the failure to adequately adhere to the constitution and laws.

Kujer tells Shafaq News Agency that the roots of the problem go back to the period after 2003, when clear foundations were not laid to regulate the financial and administrative relationship between the federal government and the region, which led to the postponement and accumulation of disputes as resources expanded and laws changed.

He adds that the current disputes have political and administrative dimensions, and that leaving the files to the technicians and administrators away from political and personal interference could have contributed to resolving them.

Kujer points out that agreements reached by the two governments do not necessarily guarantee an end to the dispute, citing the 2023 agreement that was signed in the presence of the prime ministers, the oil ministers and relevant officials, before it was blocked within the House of Representatives, he says.

It is worth noting that Baghdad and Erbil signed a temporary agreement on April 4, 2023 to resume exporting the region’s oil via Turkey, with SOMO (State Oil Marketing Organization) handling its marketing, and the revenues being deposited into an account subject to federal audit.

However, the agreement did not end the disputes regarding the management of oil, revenues, and the region’s entitlements, despite the inclusion of arrangements related to these issues in the tripartite budget law, which was approved on June 12, 2023.

Share equation

Determining the region’s share of the budget stands out as one of the most contentious issues, given the differences regarding the adopted percentage, the method of calculating it, and the deductions that precede the distribution of funds.

In this regard, Erbil-based political analyst Yassin Aziz says that the disputes over the region’s share clearly date back to 2016, when the federal government, headed by Haider al-Abadi, moved to link the share to financial terms and conditions, without establishing a clear and transparent mechanism to ensure its stability.

Aziz explains to Shafaq News Agency that the debate is renewed with every draft budget, especially regarding the extent to which the region’s share is consistent with its population percentage, noting that Iraq’s census for 2024 determined the region’s population percentage to be about 14.14%, while the percentage proposed in the draft budget is 12.70%. BuyMaps

The region rejects this percentage, considering that it does not reflect its actual entitlements, while Aziz believes that the amount it receives may decrease to about 6.1% if the share is calculated after excluding sovereign and governing expenses.

One of the main points of contention revolves around whether the region’s share is calculated from total public spending or after deducting sovereign expenses, as well as the dispute over whether to adopt legal allocations or actual spending as a standard for disbursement.

The expansion of expenses deducted before distribution leads to a reduction in the final amount received by the region, even if the announced percentage remains constant, which makes the dispute related to the basis of calculation as much as it is related to the percentage of the share itself.

Oil and revenues

The oil file is no less complex than the budget, as positions vary regarding the quantities of oil that the region should deliver to SOMO, the actual production volume, local consumption, production and transportation costs, and the dues owed to foreign companies.

According to Aziz, Baghdad is demanding the delivery of 445,000 barrels per day, while the region’s current production does not exceed 265,000 barrels per day, including about 50,000 barrels consumed locally.

Shafaq.com

Al-Zaydi’s office: Disarmament in Sinjar is the exclusive responsibility of the federal authorities, and we have taken control of the mountain sites.

A spokesman for the Iraqi armed forces confirmed on Wednesday that the integration and organization of the Sinjar Protection Units falls within its exclusive jurisdiction, tasks, and duties, noting that its positions in the Sinjar Mountains have been handed over to Iraqi army units and other formations of the armed forces. Iraqeconomic update

On Tuesday evening, the Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government announced that it was following with “concern” the understandings being made by the federal government regarding the situation in Sinjar, unilaterally and without consultation with the regional government.

The spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Sabah al-Nu’man, said in a statement issued today and received by Shafaq News Agency that the relevant committees are continuing their efforts to complete the project of restricting weapons to the state, based on the directives of the Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ali Falih al-Zaidi.

He added that the security measures implemented in the Sinjar region are field and military measures that are entirely under the authority of the federal government, noting that the handover of sites to army units and other formations of the armed forces is carried out according to tasks and jurisdiction, given that this file is one of the exclusive duties of the government and federal security leaders.

Al-Nu’man explained that the federal government, in continuous coordination with the local government in Sinjar district, is working on reconstruction files, compensating the families of the victims, accelerating the return of displaced persons to their homes and ending their suffering in displacement camps, leading to the election of a local government for the district in accordance with the law, which enjoys the satisfaction and approval of the people of Sinjar, and represents them in their local affairs.

He stressed that the government and the armed forces are putting all their security and administrative capabilities at the service of the people, explaining that empowering the Iraqi army and the rest of the armed forces formations and imposing full control, including taking over the areas of Mount Sinjar, represents the basic pillar for extending the authority of the state and the law and achieving sovereignty in all its aspects in the Sinjar district.

He pointed to the complete openness to addressing the challenges and problems regarding the mechanisms for restricting weapons and containing security elements, in accordance with what is dictated by the supreme national interest and the applicable laws.

Last Monday, the Iraqi Security Media Cell announced the start of the process of integrating the Sinjar Resistance Forces (YBS) with the security forces and taking over areas in Mount Sinjar.

Shafaq.com

Parliamentary Finance Committee: Pension salary deficit reaches 360 billion dinars and is increasing monthly

On Wednesday, Hussein Al-Daraji, a member of the parliamentary finance committee, revealed that there is a deficit in pension salaries amounting to 360 billion dinars, noting that it is increasing monthly.

Al-Daraji told Shafaq News Agency that the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives hosted, on Tuesday, the Director General of the National Retirement Authority to discuss the general and financial situation in the Authority, and it became clear through this hosting that there is a deficit in retirement salaries amounting to 360 billion dinars and increasing monthly.

He added that the number of retirees is about 3 million in Iraq, including 1.81 million civilian retirees and 1.221 million military retirees.

He explained that the rate of employees referred to retirement ranges between 7,500 and 8,500 employees per month, indicating that the Ministry of Finance supports maintaining the referral of employees to retirement when they reach the age of sixty, without changing this procedure.

The salary file in Iraq is suffering from financial pressures, as the past months have witnessed delays in the disbursement of salaries to government employees and retirees due to a lack of financial liquidity and a decline in revenues.

Iraq’s public finances are facing a growing gap between revenues and expenditures, as government data showed that the deficit between state revenues and expenditures reached about 30.4 trillion dinars during the first eight months of 2026.

Shafaq.com