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News and Comment by KT:
According to natural resources minister Dr Ashti Hawrami, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has started exporting crude oil by truck to Turkey in order to provide basic services to the people of Kurdistan.
“If we need to, we will export oil to Iran,” Seerwan Abubaqr, a spokesman for the ministry, added. “We will continue exports of crude oil until the central government provides the region with oil products. The central government has pushed us to do this.”
The KRG’s move is in defiance of the Baghdad government which claims the exclusive right to export oil. The KRG is responding to the actions of the Maliki government which has cut the share of oil and gas going to the Kurdistan region. The only way to compensate for this is to export crude oil and get petrol and gas in return.
Surprisingly, Mohammed Tofiq, spokesman for the Gorran foreign council, has confirmed to local papers that the opposition party believes that the KRG’s export of oil should be coordinated with Baghdad.
Until the ongoing dispute between Baghdad and Erbil is resolved, the whole of Iraq will continue to face much uncertainty.
