The Baghdad-Erbil Agreement is a step towards true partnership.

The Baghdad-Erbil Agreement is a step towards true partnership.

2025/07/13

In a new development in a series of attempts to resolve outstanding issues between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government, the recent agreement between the two parties was viewed as a positive step toward consolidating the principle of national partnership and economic integration. While parliamentary parties and experts praised the agreement and its importance, energy and oil specialists believe its success hinges on good intentions and the effective implementation of its provisions. They warned against a repeat of previous agreements, which often ended without implementation.

Nadia Al-Aboudi, a member of parliament representing Basra Governorate, told Al-Sabah: “The recent, anticipated agreement between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government represents a positive and important step toward consolidating the principle of partnership and economic integration between the two sides, promoting the principle of fairness in the distribution of resources, and achieving comprehensive development.”

She stressed that “the House of Representatives strongly supports any agreement built on transparent and fair foundations that reinforce the principle of national partnership,” calling for “continuing this consensual approach and activating it through joint follow-up committees to ensure practical implementation and avoid media or political escalation.”

The Council of Ministers discussed, in its session last Tuesday, two papers, the first submitted by the relevant federal authorities and the second by the Kurdistan Regional Government, concerning the issue of handing over the region’s oil and non-oil revenues and the file of its employees’ salaries and their localization. Following this, the Prime Minister directed the formation of a committee to discuss the two papers, with the committee to submit its recommendations to the Council of Ministers, so that an appropriate decision can be taken regarding them as soon as possible.

Federalism and the Constitution

Dr. Ihsan Al-Attar, a former oil and gas contracting and project management expert at the Ministry of Oil, believes that discussing the relationship between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region is inconceivable without addressing the concept of federalism and the Iraqi constitution that established this system. He also emphasized that the oil agreement planned for the two sides is “good and feasible” if there are sincere intentions.

Al-Attar told Al-Sabah, “The Iraqi constitution clearly states that oil and gas ownership belongs to all Iraqis without discrimination, and that the federal government is the sole authority authorized to manage these resources, whether the fields are old or new.”

Regarding the anticipated oil agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government, Al-Attar expressed optimism about the draft agreement, considering that “the points contained therein represent a sound basis for practical implementation, particularly regarding the formation of permanent joint committees composed of competent and specialized individuals to determine the needs for crude oil and petroleum products.”

pending files

For his part, energy expert Bilal Khalifa told Al-Sabah that “the recent agreement between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region is a necessary and important step toward resolving outstanding issues,” noting that “such an agreement should have been concluded since the beginning of the government’s formation.”

Khalifa expressed his hope that “the region will abide by the terms of this new agreement and not suffer the same fate as previous agreements that went up in smoke.” He pointed out that “the core point of the new agreement is the handover of the region’s full oil production, but it did not address the issue of gas, which also belongs to the Iraqi people, despite the fact that the region possesses significant reserves and potential in this area, resources that the federal government greatly needs.”

Regional Dialogues

For his part, the political advisor to the Kurdistan Regional Parliament, Mahmoud Khoshnaw, told Al-Sabah: “The continuous visits, meetings and understandings in general between the federal government and the region are very important, and they must continue in order to exchange views, create a positive atmosphere and take important steps in resolving outstanding problems, foremost among which are the financial issues between the region and the federal government, especially the issue of resuming oil exports.” He explained that “it is necessary for the understandings to reach radical solutions so that we can block any future attempts that could cause instability in Iraq.”

For his part, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Rebin Salam, told Al-Sabah: “The recent visit of Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani to Erbil is a positive, smart and necessary step in its timing. It is important in bringing the views of the central and regional governments closer, especially regarding the chronic issue of salaries for the region’s employees.” He added, “The issue of employee salaries and the resumption of oil exports are a priority in the talks between the federal government and the region.”

alsabaah.iq