KRG to discuss Iraq oil ministry ‘unjust demands’ to Kurdistan, international companies
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Ministers of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are set to discuss the “unjust demands” that the Iraqi Ministry of Oil has made to its Kurdish counterpart as well as the international energy firms, according to a statement.
The subject will be discussed during the government’s weekly ministerial meeting, which is planned to be chaired by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday in Erbil.
Among other issues, the officials will talk about the “unjust demands” that the Iraqi Minister of Oil has made to the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources as well as the international energy firms, a statement from the government’s media read.
The measures that have been taken by the KRG in this regard will be highlighted, the statement added.
The management of hydrocarbon is one of the lingering issues between Erbil and Baghdad.
However, the issue has been the center of political disputes between the two governments for many years, the Baghdad-based Federal Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the “unconstitutionality” of the Kurdish energy dossier sparked a new round of tension.
Baghdad has warned the international oil companies working in the Kurdistan Region to halt their operations, threatening legal measures against those firms if they do not abide by the federal government’s demands.
In response, the Region has defended the deals that it had struck with the international energy companies, arguing they have all been in line with the existing laws.
Assuring that the KRG would stand firmly by its commitments to the international companies, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has rejected his Region would abide by the court’s “politicized ruling” against the constitutional rights of the Kurdish people.
He has recently paid a visit to Baghdad, where he met with the top Iraqi officials to discuss the outstanding issues and find a common ground for resolving the disputes.
In a letter to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Robert Menendez, and Ranking Member James Risch wrote that Baghdad’s implementation of the court rulings is “selectively applied” against US energy firms in Kurdistan Region, urging the top diplomat to engage with both conflicting sides to settle the dispute.