Nechirvan Barzani: Iraq lost $15 billion due to the suspension of oil exports from the Kurdistan Reg

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[size=52]Nechirvan Barzani: Iraq lost $15 billion due to the suspension of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region[/size]

[size=45]Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said that Iraq lost $15 billion due to the halt in oil exports from the Kurdistan Region.[/size]
[size=45]The Meri Forum concluded its two-day sessions on Wednesday (October 30, 2024) with the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, to discuss “The Kurdistan Region of Iraq in a Turbulent Region: Visions and Directions.”[/size]
[size=45]“Baghdad’s dealings are non-federal.”[/size]
[size=45]The President of the Kurdistan Region also considered that “the government’s dealings in Baghdad are not federal, but rather centralized. We say according to the federal system, but the content is not federal and it can be anything except federal. I spoke about this with the parties in Baghdad and said that the problem of Baghdad and Erbil, if we want Iraq to live in peace with its people and enjoy a secure political situation, the key is to solve the problems with the Kurdistan Region.”[/size]
[size=45]“Since 2003 until now, each of us says that the constitution is the rule, but we do not see that the constitution is the rule, and I am not only criticizing Baghdad in this regard, but I am also talking about the Kurdistan Region, so I see that these elections have provided a new and great opportunity to reach a solution with Baghdad that satisfies Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region and serves the interests of all of Iraq,” according to the President of the Kurdistan Region.[/size]
[size=45]He continued: “Therefore, after the elections, we must form a government as soon as possible, and begin dialogue with Baghdad to solve the problems we have, which are the issue of the budget and Article 140.”[/size]
[size=45]Nechirvan Barzani explained that “since 2003, the Kurds have participated in the political process in Iraq in the hope that Iraq would become a federal democracy, especially since before 2003 we had the same current situation and it was not much different, but we went and participated in the political process with great effectiveness in the hope of stabilizing and consolidating this system, but the question today is where is Iraq going? And until when will we talk about the constitution without seeing any steps to implement the constitution.”[/size]
[size=45]“A power greater than the constitution”[/size]
[size=45]The President of the Kurdistan Region pointed out that “I often say that foreign countries from America and Europe should help us in how to implement the constitution, and I told the brothers in Baghdad that your impression is that you are not interested in the Kurdistan Region and the authority you have granted yourselves is greater than the authority granted to you by the constitution, and in return they say that the powers you have in the Kurdistan Region are greater than the powers existing in the confederal system, but in Erbil we say that you are dealing not in a federal way but rather in a more centralized way than the central itself, so where is the middle ground between these two opinions?”[/size]
[size=45]Nechirvan Barzani stressed the need to seek to solve the problems, and the Kurdistan Region's strategy is clear in that we want to solve the region's problems within the framework of Iraq according to the constitution, far from what happened in the past and who made mistakes and where they made mistakes. I see that both sides made mistakes, and I do not criticize only Baghdad or only the Kurdistan Region, but in the end, the future of Iraq requires us to find a model that is acceptable to both sides.[/size]
[size=45]Tripartite meeting in Baghdad[/size]
[size=45]“The current situation regarding the priority with Baghdad, which is the issue of salaries and the lives of citizens, is very important. It is a priority,” Nechirvan Barzani said, praising the role of “the Iraqi Prime Minister and the Chief Justice. We held a tripartite meeting on the issue of salaries, and I told the Prime Minister that the best solution is to hold a tripartite meeting so that we do not go to the Chief Justice of the Federal Court and talk about something, and then the other parties, so we must sit together without informing.”[/size]
[size=45]“We actually held this meeting in Baghdad, and things were clear, and the Federal Court’s decision clearly declared its commitment, and we are grateful for all of this, and we must say that until now, in this context, Al-Sudani has acted and made serious efforts in this area.”[/size]
[size=45]“Oil is not a political issue”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the export of Kurdistan Region’s oil, Nechirvan Barzani said, “Some see it as a political issue, but we do not see it as a political issue. We say that oil is an economic issue and we do not see it as political, because if we look at the reality and geography of the Kurdistan Region, we cannot see that the issue is political, but rather commercial and economic.”[/size]
[size=45]The President of the Kurdistan Region expressed gratitude to Turkey, which “allowed us to export this oil, while Turkey did not benefit from that. They helped Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, did not pressure us, and we sold the oil to international companies, and as you know there were international companies that bought this oil.”[/size]
[size=45]“Under the current situation, oil is not being exported through pipelines abroad, but the greatest damage is being done to Iraq. If I am not mistaken, Iraq has lost $15 billion due to the halt in oil exports from the Kurdistan Region, and the number could be higher than that, while Baghdad is not thinking about that, and says that the Kurdistan Region’s contracts are different from the contracts we have, and our contracts are partnership contracts, where companies must be satisfied with what is available, while the contracts in Iraq are service contracts,” he added.[/size]
[size=45]Nechirvan Barzani gave an example of this by saying: “In the Qayyarah region near here, the production of each barrel of oil was set for those companies at $37, while they set the production of a barrel in the Kurdistan Region at $20. Therefore, I ask Baghdad to think about this issue correctly and rationally, not as a political issue but as an economic issue.”[/size]
[size=45]“Exporting Kurdistan oil as Iraqi oil.”[/size]
[size=45]Nechirvan Barzani believed that “the ideal solution is to once again export the oil of the Kurdistan Region like the oil of Iraq through pipelines abroad,” stressing that “Turkey has no problem, and does not pose a problem in this matter.”[/size]
[size=45]The President of the Kurdistan Region stressed that “the problem exists in Baghdad and in the House of Representatives, while I say that the biggest loser from this issue is Iraq and this problem must be solved.”[/size]
[size=45]“Iraq has enough problems”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the situation in the region, Nechirvan Barzani explained that “there is a major war in the region, and as far as the Kurdistan Region is concerned, it is coordinating with Baghdad with all our efforts so that Iraq does not become part of this war and problems.”[/size]
[size=45]He explained that “Iraq has enough problems and its situation is special, and we in the Kurdistan Region and as part of Iraq, the most important thing for us is not to become part of this conflict, and it is in the interest of Iraq and Kurdistan not to leave this framework.”[/size]
[size=45]Strikes against Israel[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the groups that are launching strikes on Israel and the possibility of dragging Iraq into war, Nechirvan Barzani commented by saying: “We must ask how many of these groups there were,” adding that “their number has become 2 to 3 of those carrying out these actions, after their number was 12, and this indicates that Iraq has made progress in this, and the question is, is this in Iraq’s interest? In our opinion in the Kurdistan Region, this is not in Iraq’s interest in any way.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that “Iraq must be far from this fire that has ignited in the region because it is not in a position to be part of this conflict, and the Iraqi institutions are not that strong to be part of this,” adding that “Iraq is still in a transitional period, and this is the reality, and there is a process that cannot be achieved in a day or two, and we must do some things that no one can accomplish for us.”[/size]
[size=45]Nechirvan Barzani compared the Iraqi situation, “In terms of the security situation now in Iraq, is it similar to the situation years ago? There is definitely a big difference, and there is no interest in Iraq becoming part of this conflict, and in my opinion all the forces, and it is the duty of the Prime Minister as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in general, to be helped by all the political forces by saying we cannot allow Iraq to become part of this conflict.”[/size]
[size=45]He continued: “We must help the Prime Minister, and all political forces must stand and help the Prime Minister, because it is his responsibility to keep Iraq away from this issue,” adding: “We want Iraq to be far from this conflict.”[/size]
[size=45]The President of the Kurdistan Region added, regarding the issue of the international coalition headed by the United States: “It helped greatly in confronting terrorism, and it is appropriate that we be grateful to the coalition forces that helped us and helped Iraq in difficult days. This force came to Iraq at its invitation, and did not come through the logic of force to impose itself, but rather came at the invitation of Iraq to confront terrorism, and they helped Iraq a lot.”[/size]
[size=45]“Since 2014 until now, 10 years have passed, which is a long time for Iraq as a sovereign state to review and ask what it needs at this stage, and there is no doubt that the situation has become different and better than it was in 2014 in terms of security and the economy, and there we do not see a security problem in Baghdad, as there are restaurants and hotels in Baghdad and many projects, and this means great development,” according to Nechirvan Barzani.[/size]
[size=45]He continued, “Iraq, as a sovereign country, has the right to ask and evaluate these years and say, ‘Where are we headed?’ This is normal. We in the Kurdistan Region may see the issue differently. It is a political issue, as we see that ISIS has not ended yet, with all due respect to those opinions. We hope that we are wrong, but through our assessment, ISIS still remains and represents a threat to the security of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.”[/size]
[size=45]"Blood mixing on the fronts"[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that “when ISIS came and attacked Iraq, it did not ask whether this was Sunni, Shiite, or Kurdish, and we were all accused of one accusation, that we were Iraqis. On the front lines, the blood of the Peshmerga, the Iraqi army, and the Popular Mobilization Forces was mixed in order to defend Iraq, and we had no disagreement about that.”[/size]
[size=45]He also saw that “Iraq needs help and support from abroad, especially America, which led this alliance. But now, if Iraq wants the agreements and relations to become bilateral, I do not see it as wrong. However, we in the Kurdistan Region did not ask America to come to the Kurdistan Region after 2026. Rather, the decision is issued within the framework of the agreement and strategic discussions between Iraq and America, and the Kurdistan Region is part of this process and is not discussing this issue unilaterally, and the Kurdistan Region says that American forces should come to us.”[/size]
[size=45]The President of the Kurdistan Region added: “Iraq is sovereign. In the context of this discussion that is taking place, will the American forces remain or not? But what must be clear is how these forces will remain and what duties will be assigned to them? This discussion has not yet begun, but it is of great and serious interest in the Kurdistan Region.”[/size]
[size=45]Nechirvan Barzani stressed: “We decide everything within the framework of Iraq, and we act within this framework. We do not act or agree with America or any international party separately, but rather within the framework of Iraq because we share these concerns with Iraq, and with Baghdad and the political parties in Iraq we talk about these issues frankly,” stressing that “any decision must be issued within the framework of Iraq and the political forces in Iraq.”[/size]
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