In a cabinet meeting on Sunday chaired by Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, the KRG leadership reaffirmed a unified stance to ensure the payment of salaries and financial entitlements of the Kurdish people, which Baghdad cut in May.

“The meeting stressed the need to intensify all efforts with the federal government to resolve the issue, and there is consensus and a unified stance to ensure the salaries and financial entitlements of the people of the Kurdistan Region,” the KRG said in a readout.

In May, Iraq’s Federal Ministry of Finance decided to suspend the salaries of public employees in the Kurdistan Region for this year. As a result, public employees in Kurdistan have not received any pay for over 70 days.

The KRG underlined that it “will continue its joint efforts to end this crisis, which has unfortunately negatively impacted the livelihoods of salary recipients and citizens in general,” the statement added.

“The issue remains a top priority for the government, which is making serious and ongoing efforts to address it.”

Read More: KDP Issues Baghdad Ultimatum on Salary Dispute

Furthermore, the Kurdistan Democratic Party on Saturday announced that they will give Baghdad a final chance to solve the issue of the non-payment of salaries to public employees in the Kurdistan Region, after Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein informed them that there is a serious effort in Baghdad to solve it.