Iraq
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani speaking to Rudaw on February 19, 2022. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Saturday said the Region is ready to engage in talks with Iraq to resolve disputes surrounding the oil and gas industry following the “unfair” decision of the Iraqi top court against Kurdish oil.
“I can say it is a very unjust decision against the Kurdistan Region. We will do our best to solve this matter with Iraq through negotiations and talks,” President Barzani told Rudaw’s Alla Shahly on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The Iraqi federal court on Tuesday reviewed cases brought against oil exports from the Kurdistan Region to foreign countries without prior approval from the federal government. The Iraqi oil ministry filed cases against the KRG, in 2012 and in 2019, for exporting oil without approval from the federal government.
The court’s decision found the Oil and Gas Law of the Kurdistan Regional Government No. (22) of 2007 to be “unconstitutional,” and therefore struck down the legal basis for the independence of the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas sector.
However, President Barzani said “what the Kurdistan Region has done in the oil industry is completely constitutional,” while relying on the Iraqi constitution.
“The court’s decision is against the permanent constitution of Iraq,” Barzani noted, as he emphasized the Region’s readiness to engage in negotiations with Iraq to solve the disputes surrounding the oil industry.
Barzani noted that the court’s decision was against the good of the Kurdish people, noting that the ruling was “unjust.”
The KRG passed its oil and gas law in 2007, enabling it to administer and develop its own oil and gas resources.
President Barzani spoke against the decision on Wednesday, saying it could further complicate the disputes between the Iraqi and Kurdish capitals.
Disputes arose between Baghdad and Erbil in early 2014, when Baghdad cut the Region’s share of the federal budget, setting into motion a series of crises that the KRG still suffers from. By March 2014, the KRG started exporting its oil abroad in an attempt to secure the salaries of
its employees.
The Iraqi and Kurdish governments were once again brought around the table in 2021 when Iraq was drafting its budget law. Both sides agreed that the KRG would continue its oil sales, and in return would hand the revenue of 250,000 barrels of oil to Baghdad daily.
Top Kurdish officials have slammed the court’s ruling, saying the decision was politically motivated as it comes at a time of political rife and a delayed government formation following October’s early election.
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, who himself played a key role in drafting the 2005 Iraqi constitution, said that the decision was political.
"The decision of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court regarding the oil and gas of the Kurdistan Region is a completely political decision and contradicts the Iraqi federal constitution, which is aimed at opposing the Kurdistan Region and is against the Iraqi federal system,” the leader said in a statement.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) late Tuesday said that the court’s ruling is not only “unconstitutional” but also “unjust.”
Political situation in Iraq
The two main Kurdish political parties are in extended talks regarding Iraq’s presidency post despite repeated calls for Kurdish unity in Baghdad following tensions and the suspension of Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) candidate Hoshyar Zebari in after a lawsuit was filed against him.
“As a principle, what is important for us Kurds is unity … we have gained a lot from working together. If we are not united, then for sure we will lose a lot,” President Barzani told Rudaw’s Shahly.
Iraq held an early election on October 10. For months following the vote, the Kurds agreed to present a united front in Baghdad with the KDP engaging in intense talks with other Kurdish parties.
However, the Kurdish front has largely failed to materialize after the KDP made agreements with the Sadrists and the Sunni Taqadum Coalition, which the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) considers to be a disadvantage for Kurds.
President Barzani said that he hopes to reach an agreement with the PUK and other Kurdish political parties.
Barzani, who is also the vice-president of the KDP, traveled to Najaf to meet with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in late January, following an initiative from KDP leader Masoud Barzani to resolve political tensions in Iraq’s ongoing government formation process.
The initiative was “to bring the political parties closer together and to reach a result that is advantageous to all the sides,” the President said.
“I can say it is a very unjust decision against the Kurdistan Region. We will do our best to solve this matter with Iraq through negotiations and talks,” President Barzani told Rudaw’s Alla Shahly on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The Iraqi federal court on Tuesday reviewed cases brought against oil exports from the Kurdistan Region to foreign countries without prior approval from the federal government. The Iraqi oil ministry filed cases against the KRG, in 2012 and in 2019, for exporting oil without approval from the federal government.
The court’s decision found the Oil and Gas Law of the Kurdistan Regional Government No. (22) of 2007 to be “unconstitutional,” and therefore struck down the legal basis for the independence of the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas sector.
However, President Barzani said “what the Kurdistan Region has done in the oil industry is completely constitutional,” while relying on the Iraqi constitution.
“The court’s decision is against the permanent constitution of Iraq,” Barzani noted, as he emphasized the Region’s readiness to engage in negotiations with Iraq to solve the disputes surrounding the oil industry.
Barzani noted that the court’s decision was against the good of the Kurdish people, noting that the ruling was “unjust.”
The KRG passed its oil and gas law in 2007, enabling it to administer and develop its own oil and gas resources.
President Barzani spoke against the decision on Wednesday, saying it could further complicate the disputes between the Iraqi and Kurdish capitals.
Disputes arose between Baghdad and Erbil in early 2014, when Baghdad cut the Region’s share of the federal budget, setting into motion a series of crises that the KRG still suffers from. By March 2014, the KRG started exporting its oil abroad in an attempt to secure the salaries of
its employees.
The Iraqi and Kurdish governments were once again brought around the table in 2021 when Iraq was drafting its budget law. Both sides agreed that the KRG would continue its oil sales, and in return would hand the revenue of 250,000 barrels of oil to Baghdad daily.
Top Kurdish officials have slammed the court’s ruling, saying the decision was politically motivated as it comes at a time of political rife and a delayed government formation following October’s early election.
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, who himself played a key role in drafting the 2005 Iraqi constitution, said that the decision was political.
"The decision of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court regarding the oil and gas of the Kurdistan Region is a completely political decision and contradicts the Iraqi federal constitution, which is aimed at opposing the Kurdistan Region and is against the Iraqi federal system,” the leader said in a statement.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) late Tuesday said that the court’s ruling is not only “unconstitutional” but also “unjust.”
Political situation in Iraq
The two main Kurdish political parties are in extended talks regarding Iraq’s presidency post despite repeated calls for Kurdish unity in Baghdad following tensions and the suspension of Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) candidate Hoshyar Zebari in after a lawsuit was filed against him.
“As a principle, what is important for us Kurds is unity … we have gained a lot from working together. If we are not united, then for sure we will lose a lot,” President Barzani told Rudaw’s Shahly.
Iraq held an early election on October 10. For months following the vote, the Kurds agreed to present a united front in Baghdad with the KDP engaging in intense talks with other Kurdish parties.
However, the Kurdish front has largely failed to materialize after the KDP made agreements with the Sadrists and the Sunni Taqadum Coalition, which the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) considers to be a disadvantage for Kurds.
President Barzani said that he hopes to reach an agreement with the PUK and other Kurdish political parties.
Barzani, who is also the vice-president of the KDP, traveled to Najaf to meet with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in late January, following an initiative from KDP leader Masoud Barzani to resolve political tensions in Iraq’s ongoing government formation process.
The initiative was “to bring the political parties closer together and to reach a result that is advantageous to all the sides,” the President said.
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