Kurdistan oil export file.. “company expenses” hinder agreement between Baghdad and Erbil
Kurdistan oil export file.. “company expenses” hinder agreement between Baghdad and Erbil
2025-03-05 04:32
Shafaq News/ Informed sources reported on Wednesday that the mechanism for paying the expenses of production and transportation companies constitutes an obstacle to resuming the export of oil produced from the fields of the Kurdistan Region to the Turkish port of Ceyhan through the federal company “SOMO”.
The sources told Shafaq News Agency that the Kurdistan Region delegation that visited Baghdad early this week did not reach solutions to speed up the export process, due to the insistence of the companies concerned to obtain production and transportation fees in advance (before starting the export), indicating that the federal government in Baghdad refused to hand over any money to the region before settling all financial matters, including the debts owed by the Turkish side to Baghdad, nor any financial dues in advance before starting to resume the export.
The sources explained that the production and transportation expenses, which were set at $16, are subject to adjustment after two months of re-exportation by appointing an intermediary company specialized in calculating the cost of production and transportation, and thus no expenses or wages will be paid before resuming exports.
The sources indicated that another meeting may be held tomorrow, Thursday, or next week in Baghdad, with the attendance of a delegation from the Kurdistan Region and representatives of oil companies.
Last Sunday, March 2, a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government held talks in Baghdad with the federal Ministry of Oil to resolve issues related to resuming oil exports from the region’s fields and other issues related to the companies’ work.
This meeting was scheduled to be held yesterday, Tuesday, but developments in the file prompted the date to be brought forward.
These discussions come after eight international oil companies announced last Friday that they would not resume exports, despite previous assurances from the Iraqi Oil Minister that they would resume soon.
The Federal Ministry of Oil also called on the oil companies operating in the region to hold an expanded meeting to discuss the technical and logistical requirements for resuming exports.
shafaq.com
