The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Oil has hit back at Rosneft's recent decision to enter a production-sharing deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) without its approval. In a statement, the Ministry warned: "The ministry of oil warns seriously all the countries and oil companies from contracting or dealing with any authority inside Iraq […]
Russia's Rosneft and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have announced the start of joint implementation of an infrastructure project for the operation of the oil pipeline in the Kurdish Autonomous Region. According to a statement from Rosneft, its share in the project "may amount to 60%". "The other project participant with 40% share will be KAR […]
In a statement released on October 18, the Kurdish Independent High Electoral and Referendum Commission (IHERC) said it had decided to suspend the preparations for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, due to be held on November 1, due to the recent violence in Kirkuk and other disputed territories. The suspension is due to not […]
The Council of Ministers of the Kurdistan Regional Government held a meeting on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the region. Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani attended the meeting and discussed the situation in Kirkuk and other areas that witnessed tensions and clashes this week. The Council of Ministers […]
Genel Energy has issued a trading and operations update for Q3 2017. The information has not been audited and may be subject to further review. Murat Özgül (pictured), Chief Executive of Genel, said: "During the quarter Genel executed a landmark settlement agreement with the KRG over historical receivables, which we expect to materially enhance our […]
Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft and the Government of the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Iraq signed the documents required to put into force Production Sharing Agreements (PSA) with respect to five production blocks located in the Kurdish Autonomous Region. The share of Rosneft Group Subsidiaries in PSA will be 80%, the amount of payments for […]
By Dr. Olgu Okumuş for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On Sept. 28, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan jointly stated their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, they also made a point of stressing their […]
Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior member of Iran’s Expediency Council, rejected the notion that the Islamic Republic helped the central government in neighboring Iraq to take full control over the disputed region of Kirkuk, which was previously held by Kurdish Peshmerga forces. “Iran has no role in the Kirkuk operation,” Velayati told reporters on the […]
By Hamdi Malik for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Sept. 25 referendum, in which voters overwhelmingly voted for independence for Iraqi Kurdistan, increased the division between the Turkmen and Kurdish populations in the disputed city of Kirkuk. But Turkmens believe the Kurdish […]
By Bijan Khajehpour, for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iran and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq have historically been on good terms. During the Saddam Hussein years, Iran was one of the main countries to host Kurdish leaders. In the post-Saddam […]
By John Lee. Iraq is reportedly considering using security forces to prevent Kurdistan from blocking oil output from Kirkuk. A spokesman for the North Oil Company (NOC) told Reuters that Kurdish officials indicated that they would shut down production at the Kirkuk oilfield, ostensibly for security reasons, but as a means of putting pressure on […]
Federal forces in control of large areas of Kirkuk city; further Kurdish withdrawals in Nineveh/Diyala Over the course of October 16, Iraqi federal forces advanced into many parts of Kirkuk city and adjacent military and energy facilities. The Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), supported by the Iraqi Army and Federal Police took control of the K1 military […]
