KRG delegation heads to Baghdad tomorrow
Shafaq News / The Kurdistan Regional government announced today, Sunday, that it will send a delegation to Baghdad.
A statement by the Kurdistan Regional government's media department said that in order to maintain the continuity of the dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad, and secure the rights of the Kurdistan Region's people, a delegation will head to Baghdad tomorrow, Monday.
This decision comes shortly after the Regional Government confirmed that Baghdad has reduced its financial commitments to Erbil.
Baghdad used to pay 453 billion Iraqi Dinars (about 380 million US dollars) monthly to Erbil, to secure employees' salaries, but stopped doing so following the 2017 referendum, and the Region's decision not to hand over its oil production according to the budget law.
After many rounds of talks, the Kurdistan Region was forced to hand over 250,000 oil barrels per day, to SOMO, in addition to its oil revenues to Baghdad.
On February 15, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court decreed that the natural resource law passed by the Kurdistan Regional Government in 2007 is unconstitutional, potentially upending the region's oil and gas industry.
Ruling that KRG oil exports and contracts with international oil companies are illegal, the court granted the federal government the right to annul such contracts, claim ownership of KRG oil, and hold Erbil liable for past oil revenues against budget allocations received from Baghdad.
In addition to undermining the KRG's energy industry, the ruling could limit federal Iraq’s too—indeed, the very concept of oil federalism is at risk. The decision also complicates the ongoing government formation process, and may even invite backlash against a judiciary that has maintained widespread respect among Iraqis.
