By John Lee. The Norwegian oil producer DNO International expects the Kurdistan Regional Government to pay the company part of the money it’s owed for exports by the end of the year. In September, Baghdad agreed to pay international companies 1 trillion Iraqi dinars ($858 million) and the KRG has received a first tranche of […]
The dispute between Iraq's central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government over oil contracts in northern Iraq has been dragging on for years, but it recent times we've seen developments that push the sides further apart rather than bringing them together. While the short-term issue of payments for shipments from Iraqi Kurdistan appears to have […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that Kurdistan has begun shipping oil to international markets in independent export deals that some see as paving the way to greater Kurdish autonomy. The move is likely to further enrage the central government in Baghdad, but the involvement of two of the world's largest trading houses, Trafigura and Vitol, […]
By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government's Minister for Natural Resources, Ashti Hawrami (pictured), has announced that the Kurdish region will be self-sufficient in oil products next year. He expects an increase in Kurdistan refinery's production from 40,000 to 100,000 barrels per day, resulting in a surplus of oil products. Hawrami also disclosed that there […]
President Masoud Barzani welcomed the largest ever American business delegation this week which was visiting Kurdistan to explore investment opportunities in the Kurdistan Region and to participate in the Erbil International Fair. The US-Kurdistan Business Council (USKBC) brought a 48-member delegation, representing 30 companies in diverse sectors, to meet with various KRG officials in Erbil […]
ExxonMobil is in talks to sell its 60% stake in the massive West Qurna-1 oil field, while gearing up to start a controversial drilling program in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing what it described at "people familiar with the matter". Exxon's 2010 deal with the Iraqi central government to improve production in […]
(Note: the speech was read by Minister Ali Saeed, as the Prime Minister was unable to attend). Ladies, gentlemen and distinguished guests, good morning. I wanted very much to be here with you today, but unfortunately I have had to change my plans due to some unforeseeable circumstances. In any event, I would like to […]
By John Lee. As part of a review of the United Kingdom's diplomatic engagement with Iraq, which included the announcement today that the country's consulate in Basra is to close, the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, William Hague (pictured), has announced increased resources for the embassy in Baghdad and the consulate […]
By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Higher Education Minister last week met government and university representatives in Poland, which has recently been added as a destination for Kurdistan’s scholarship students. Dr Ali Saeed Mohammad, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, came to Poland to explore ways of strengthening […]
By John Lee. Under the management of the US Consulate General in Erbil, the START Social Development Organisation concluded a five-month pilot programme established to empower women and provide key skills. The Kurdistan Economic Enhancement-skills Programme (KEEP) is funded by the US Department of State and is currently available in the rest of the country. […]
By John Lee. Iraq is considering replacing ExxonMobil at the supergiant West Qurna-1 oilfield with Russian companies LUKoil and Gazprom Neft, according to a report from Nefte Compass. Iraq regards Exxon's contracts in the northern Kurdish region of the country as illegal. But if any agreement was reached at this week's meeting between Iraqi Prime […]
By John Lee. Both Russia's Gazprom Neft and the Kurdistan Regional Government have denied that the company has frozen projects in Iraqi Kurdistan. "Gazprom Neft is still working on these projects. The company keeps its interest in Kurdistan," a Gazprom Neft source told Reuters. A spokesman for the KRG said Gazprom had informed the KRG […]
