Tag Archives | Kurdistan News

The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.

Kurdish-Arab Feud: Russians and Exxon Making Things Worse

By Abdul-Khaleq Dosky. This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The tension between Iraqi Kurdistan and the leadership in Baghdad doesn’t seem to have diminished lately. NIQASH asked the Iraqi Kurdish why the Russians and Exxon […]

Iraq Pressures Gazprom to Quit Kurdistan

 By John Lee. The Iraqi Government has reportedly told Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom, to abandon oil deals in Kurdistan or face losing the lucrative Badra oilfield contract. The field, which is estimated to have reserves of 100 million barrels, is being developed by Gazprom (30%), Korea’s KOGAS (22.5%), […]

Dubai Chamber to Open Office in Kurdistan

By John Lee. Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry is to set up representative office in Iraqi Kurdistan next yea, the chamber's chairman has announced. Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair said: "The new office will help boost the presence of Dubai businesses in the Northern region of Iraq as the country was the second largest […]

Romanian Foreign Minister opens Consular Office in Erbil

Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlăţean concluded an official visit to the Kurdistan Region yesterday in which he met with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and officially opened the Consular Office of the Romanian Embassy in Erbil. The Foreign Minister expressed admiration for the political and economic developments in the Kurdistan Region and said that the […]

DNO Expects KRG Payment Before Year-End

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 […]

Gulf Keystone Resumes Pumping in Kurdistan

By John Lee. According to industry sources cited by reuters, Gulf Keystone has restarted production in Kurdistan after a gap of six months. The company is now producing between 5,000 and 7,000 bpd for sale on the domestic market, and is developing its Shaikan field to raise output to around 40,000 bpd by the middle […]

Iran's Kurdistan Region Exports $416m Commodities to Iraq

By John Lee. The Customs Director of Iran's Kurdistan Province has said that $416-million worth of commodities have been exported to Iraq from this western province since the start of current Iranian year, March 20, 2012. Talking to the Iranian news agency IRNA, Mohammad Shahbazi said this represented an increase of 21 percent compared to […]

Kurdish Villagers Demand Compensation for Forced Evacuations

By Abdul-Khaleq Dosky. This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Almost 30 years ago they were forced from their land so Turkish military could freely hunt rebels across the border. Now the Kurdish villagers, who have […]

Place Your Bets: Erbil or Baghdad

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 […]

OMV to Hand Back Blocks to KRG

By John Lee. According to Iraq Oil Report, Austria's OMV will hand back two exploration blocks to the Kurdistan Regional Government. In its latest trading statement, OMV said it had written off exploration expenses at the "unsuccessful wells and exploration licenses" relating to the Mala Omar and Shorish blocks. The company has failed to find […]

Kurdistan "Begins Oil Exports, Defying Baghdad"

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, […]

Kurdistan to be Self-Sufficient in Oil Products

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 […]