The Ministry of Natural Resources in the Kurdistan Region issued a statement on Tuesday, urging the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to adhere to agreements established in January and to facilitate the resumption of oil exports from the Region.

In response to recent assertions from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil attributing the failure of oil exports from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the Ministry of Natural Resources clarified its stance, emphasizing the legal and constitutional framework governing oil contracts in the Kurdistan Region.

The statement underscored the absence of any provision in the 2005 Iraqi constitution granting the federal government the authority to "approve" contracts issued by the KRG. Instead, it pointed to the Kurdistan Region's Oil and Gas Law enacted in 2007, unanimously approved by the Kurdistan parliament and recognized by international legal experts, as the legal basis for these contracts.

Moreover, the Ministry of Natural Resources rejected the legitimacy of a decision issued in February 2022 by a political committee in Baghdad, which deemed the KRG's 2007 law unconstitutional. It clarified that the Kurdistan Regional Government's judicial authority does not recognize this decision as a court ruling, emphasizing that no federal institution in Iraq holds the power to overturn the constitution or laws of the Kurdistan Region.

Recalling the collaborative efforts made in January, the statement highlighted the agreement between high-level delegations from the KRG and the Iraqi federal government on the terms of the Federal Budget Law, including technical issues related to the cost of oil production in the Kurdistan Region. The ministry expressed anticipation that the terms of this agreement would be honored, leading to the resumption of exports without further delay.

Encouraging the Iraqi federal government to comply with the terms of the January agreement, the ministry underscored the significance of oil exports for the welfare of all Iraqi peoples and for international peace and security.

In conclusion, the ministry reaffirmed the KRG’s commitment to upholding the integrity, independence, and constitutional authority of the courts in the Kurdistan Region, particularly concerning the Oil and Gas Law.