Al-Monitor: Lavrov discussed three files in Baghdad... and a Russian-German struggle over gas
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Economy News - translation
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Added 02/12/2023 - 9:51 AM
Updated 2023/02/12 - 1:36 PM
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Economy News - translation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seeks relief from US sanctions and expansion of energy and trade ties with Iraq during a visit to Baghdad this week.
During his two-day visit to Baghdad, which began on Sunday, Lavrov met with senior Iraqi officials, including President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
He also met with former Prime Minister and head of the State of Law coalition, Nuri al-Maliki, as the latter controls the majority of seats within the Coordination Framework, the bloc that nominated the current prime minister and formed the government in alliance with Sunni and Kurdish parties.
According to official statements, the discussion with Iraqi officials focused on three main axes: cooperation in the field of energy between the two countries, methods of avoiding US sanctions in Iraq's dealings with Russian companies, and security cooperation.
Cooperation in the field of energy
Economic relations between Russia and Iraq focus on the energy industry, and the two main players are the Russian oil giants "Lukoil" and "Gazprom". The two companies have investments worth more than ten billion dollars in Iraq, but they are currently facing difficulties in receiving payments due to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow. .
Lukoil operates a huge oil project in Qurna, located in the southern province of Basra, with a production capacity of 800,000 barrels per day. As for "Gazprom", it works in cooperation with the Emirati company "Dana Gas" in the gas fields in northern Iraq in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Baghdad added the two companies to its list of legal targets to invalidate the Kurdistan region's contracts with international oil companies last year, following the Federal Court's decision to cancel the oil and gas law in the region.
Lavrov discussed the legal and bureaucratic hurdles facing the two Russian companies in Iraq with Iraqi officials, according to a source in the Iraqi Foreign Ministry who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.
Lavrov also discussed improving trade and economic relations between the two countries, especially through the Russian-Iraqi Committee for Trade, Economic and Scientific Cooperation, which held its ninth meeting in Moscow last August.
Russia was a major partner of Iraq during Saddam Hussein's regime, but it lost its economic influence and privileges after 2003, and it is looking to expand its economic relations with Iraq, especially at a time when it is suffering from widespread sanctions in the wake of its war with Ukraine.
During Al-Sudani's visit to Berlin last month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz raised the possibility of importing gas from northern Iraq to Germany, in order to replace Russian gas. Also last month, Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, and Amos Hockstein, the US Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security, visited Iraq to advance the project of transporting Kurdish gas to Europe.
For its part, these plans raise serious concerns for Russia, because they will lead to Moscow losing its traditional market, as Russia is working to expand its scope of work in Iraqi gas fields and encourage Baghdad to use this gas internally, in addition to transferring it to Syria and Turkey, which maintain good relations with Russia, instead of transporting gas to Europe.
Last year, the gas fields in northern Iraq were targeted by unknown militias several times, when the possibility of transporting gas to Europe was raised.
Western sanctions on Russia
Iraq is facing serious difficulties in dealing with Russian companies after the Ukraine war due to the wide-ranging Western sanctions on Russia. Lavrov also discussed this issue with Iraqi officials, asking them to find a financial solution to it.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hussein said, during a press conference in Baghdad, with Lavrov: "Cooperation with Moscow continues. We will discuss this problem (US sanctions on Russia) with the American side. There are existing sanctions that should not be imposed on the Iraqi side because cooperation with Russian companies Continuing as there are active Russian companies in Iraq. Lavrov stressed the need to protect the legal cover for cooperation, and said: "In light of the current conditions created by the illegal restrictions imposed by the Americans and their allies, it is very important to protect legal economic relations from illegal pressures from the West."
Security cooperation
Iraq is a member of the so-called "4+1" joint intelligence-sharing cooperative, which also includes Russia, Syria, Iran, and Lebanese Hezbollah. Iraq plays a decisive role in it because of its strategic location between Iran and Syria. Lavrov and Al-Sudani also stressed the importance of continuing this work and expanding security cooperation between coalition members.
According to a statement issued by the media office of the Iraqi prime minister, the two officials agreed to strengthen media coordination to combat terrorism and extremism. Iraq is also in dire need of Russian military equipment, as the Iraqi army uses Russian tanks, Sukhoi planes, and Russian cannons. The former Iraqi defense minister, Juma Inad, traveled to Moscow in 2021 and 2022 to discuss the purchase of military equipment from Russia, as well as new deals for armor, drones and S400 air defense missile systems. Iraq is trying to replace Russian military equipment with French and American alternatives, but it still depends on Russia for nearly 30% of its needs.
Views 185
Added 02/12/2023 - 9:51 AM
Updated 2023/02/12 - 1:36 PM
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