Rockets and institutions aim to stop Kurdistan Region from becoming main energy supplier: PM Barzani

Rockets and institutions aim to stop Kurdistan Region from becoming main energy supplier
PM Masrour Barzani (second right) speaks during a World Government Summit in Dubai, UAE about the post-oil world, March 29, 2022. (Photo: KRG)
PM Masrour Barzani (second right) speaks during a World Government Summit in Dubai, UAE about the post-oil world, March 29, 2022. (Photo: KRG)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Recent rocket attacks and the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court (FSC) against Kurdish oil and gas are both attempts to prevent the Kurdistan Region from becoming a main energy supplier, Prime Minister Barzani said on Tuesday. 

Barzani made the remark during a panel at the World Summit Government 2022 that began on Tuesday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Business and government delegations are attending the one-day conference.

The panel, moderated by the ANBC Anchor Hadley Gamble, was also attended by the Saudi and Emirati energy ministers. It focused on the post-oil world and the current economic challenges that governments face. 

"As we are discovering more oil and gas fields and we are trying to develop those areas, this is something that may not be in the interest of the Iranians in this case," Barzani said in response to a question about the recent Iranian missile attack against the Kurdistan Region. 

Such attacks are also a "warning" and "political pressure" on the members of the alliances that are trying to form the new Iraqi government, he added. 

The prime minister said the Kurdistan Region is trying to "provide for some of the shortages" in the energy sector caused by the ongoing conflicts in the world. 

The recent ruling by the Iraqi FSC against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Oil and Gas Law is also another attempt to undermine the development of the autonomous region's energy sector, according to Barzani.

"Not only rockets are trying to stop us, but there are also institutions that have been manipulated," he said, referring to the court's decision. 

Despite the "unconstitutional" ruling, Barzani said that he still believes "progress" can be made with the Iraqi side on the outstanding issue as his government is in talks with Baghdad. 

"A strong, economically independent Kurdistan" poses no threat to its neighbors or Baghdad, Barzani earlier said on Monday in his speech at the Global Energy Forum in Dubai. 

Accompanied by a government delegation, Barzani arrived in the UAE on Friday. Since then, he has met with various senior officials from the country.