KRG head of Foreign Relations emphasizes further coordination between Erbil and Baghdad

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Safeen Dizayee, Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations, on Sunday told Kurdistan 24 that in the meetings with the Iraqi Foreign Minister and his two deputies, a number of pressing issues between Erbil and Baghdad were discussed.

Dizayee also emphasized further coordination between the two sides.

“The Iraqi president supported the steps to strengthen coordination between the KRG and the Iraqi federal government,” he added.

In April, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, in the Iraqi capital, announced a new deal between Erbil and Baghdad.

Per the new deal, the Iraqi state-owned marketing company, SOMO, will market and export 400,000 bpd of Kurdish crude oil at market prices.

Also, Kurdish oil sales revenue will be deposited in a Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) account owned by the KRG and monitored by Baghdad.

Moreover, the Iraqi government spokesperson, Basim al-Awadi, announced that the budget proposal estimates oil revenues at 117.3 trillion Iraqi dinars, while non-oil revenues will be 17.3 trillion Iraqi dinars in the three-year budget proposal.

The total proposed expenditure amounts to nearly 198 trillion Iraqi dinars, while investment projects are estimated to be at 47.5 trillion Iraqi dinars.