KRG to export oil to Iran

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Region has signed an agreement with Iran to export crude oil.

Nazim Dabag, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representative to Tehran, revealed on Thursday that based on an agreement signed between the KRG and the Iranian government, the Kurdistan Region will export 20,000 to 30,000 barrels of oil to Iran via tankers.

Iranian and Kurdistan Region officials signed the agreement in April 5, 2016, Dabagh told Iranian Mehr news agency.

But Muhsin Qamsary, director of International Affairs of Iranian Oil Company, denied that statement. "As Iranian state-owned oil company, we are not aware of any such deal. Currently Kurdistan Region is exporting oil via pipelines to Europe."

Last week, an Iranian delegation visited Kurdistan Region and invited President Barzani to visit Iran. Establishment of Kurdistan-Iran oil and gas pipeline network is expected to be part of the discussions.

Elsewhere, Ali Panahi the Iranian consulate in Sulaimani said that Iran does not have any problems with reaching a deal with the Kurdistan Region over oil and gas; it just needs consent from the Iraqi federal government.

In January 2014, following a decision by the Shia-led government of the former Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, to cut off the Kurdistan Region's 17 percent share of the federal budget, the KRG decided to sell crude oil in the world market independently. Since then the oil and revenue sharing between the KRG and the federal government continues although a new PM, Haider al-Abadi who is from the same political party headed by Maliki, took office in August 2014.  

Since then the oil and revenue sharing between the KRG and the federal government has continued although a new PM, Haider al-Abadi, who belongs to the same political party, took office in August 2014.  

According to Natural Resources Ministry’s monthly report for April, the KRG exported 15,356,651 barrels of crude oil (an average of 511,888 barrels per day) in April through the Kurdistan pipeline network to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey.

Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran
Editing by Ava Homa