KRG delegation to visit Baghdad for talks on hydrocarbon bill

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation is set to visit Baghdad on Friday to continue talks on the hydrocarbon bill, which the Iraqi government is currently in negotiations with producing provinces and region to finalize, according to a spokesperson.

The delegation will meet with the relevant Iraqi officials to continue the talks on the oil and gas bill, Peshawa Hawramany, the KRG spokesperson, told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday.

Officials from the Region have previously visited the Iraqi capital to discuss the draft, in which Erbil seeks to preserve its constitutional rights with regard to the management of natural resources.

The federal and KRG officials recently agreed to form a number of committees in order to follow up on the work of the bill.

In the absence of an oil and gas law, Iraq still relies on Ba’athist-era legislation in order to regulate the sector.

Per a deal signed in April between Erbil and Baghdad, the two governments would jointly manage the energy dossier, which has been a source of tension for over a decade.

Following the halt of its export via the Turkish Ceyhan port, Erbil has been transferring more than 90,000 barrels of oil to the Iraqi government which uses the crude to meet domestic needs.

Prior to the stoppage, the Kurdistan Region was exporting over 400,000 barrels of oil per day through a pipeline to Turkey’s Ceyhan port.

Turkish and Iraqi officials have been in discussion regarding the resumption of the Kurdistan Region’s oil export, whose halt had resulted in more than $3 billion loss, according to Kurdish officials.