ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – In order to meet its domestic demand, the Kurdish government is negotiating to buy Iranian gas and have Kurdish oil refined across the border, an official from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) told Rudaw.
The gas will be for household use and to run Kurdistan’s power stations, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity since the deal has not been made public.
He said the KRG also wants Iran to refine Kurdish oil and send it back for domestic use.
Talks on the deals began this week when an Iranian delegation visited Kurdistan. It was led by Rostam Ghasemi, head of the Iran-Iraq trade mission and included Manuchehir Ardistani, advisor to Iran’s oil minister and Azizullah Rafzani, head of Iran’s national gas company.
The Iranian delegation met with Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami and other government officials.
Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad also joined the meetings on Thursday.
The KRG official said that negotiations were over the route of a pipeline that would carry Iranian gas, and details of the oil refining deal.
