ERBIL, July 16 (AKnews) – An MP from the Kurdish Blocs Coalition (KBC) stated today that there are political aspects in dealing with the oil and gas file between Erbil and Baghdad, assuring that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced that it would liquidate amounts of oil in the Turkish refineries to meet the needs of the citizens of Kurdistan.

The vice chairman of the KBC Mohsen al-Saadoun said: “The federal Oil Ministry and the representatives of government who are specialists in oil and gas affairs failed to keep their legal obligations that the Council of Representatives voted for within the general budget with regard to the payment of financial dues to oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region.

“The Iraqi Oil Ministry did not provide the share of the Kurdistan Region of oil products and didn’t pay the dues of foreign oil companies operating in the region, and all this prompted the region to resort to the liquidation of the crude oil in refineries in Turkey. This is not considered an export of oil.

“Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs Hussein al-Shahristani is responsible for the current situation between Baghdad and Erbil, and I think that there are political aspects in dealing with the oil and gas file between Baghdad and Erbil.”

Turkey announced last Friday about importing between five to ten trucks per day of crude from the area in northern Iraq adding that the number may reach 100 or 200 trucks per day.

Spokesman of the Iraqi government Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement that “the export of oil from Kurdistan to Turkey is illegal,” adding that the oil belongs to all Iraqis and that any export operations should be done under the supervision of the federal government.”

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