SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A Kurdistan parliament’s committee agreed on Tuesday to summon minister of natural resources Kamal Atrushi for questioning over high fuel prices, a lawmaker said.
The parliament’s committee of energy and natural resources met on Tuesday to discuss a rise in fuel prices in the Kurdistan Region.
Fuel prices have risen across the Kurdistan Region shortly after Iraq’s October 10 parliamentary elections.
One liter of “normal” gasoline in the patrol stations is sold at 900-1,000 dinars (58-62 cents), while “super” gasoline price is at 1,000-1,250 dinars.
Normal grade gasoline was sold at 500 Iraqi dinars (34 cents) at the start of 2021 but the prices rose to around 750 dinars per liter (51 cents) late this summer.
“The committee decided to summon the Kurdistan Region’s minister of natural resources for questioning,” Gaznay said.
“The high fuel prices have deteriorated people’s lives in general, and that should be solved as soon as possible,” he added.
On Sunday, dozens of mini bus drivers protested in Sulaimani city against high gasoline prices in the Region.
On October 14, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) attributed the hike in fuel prices to the increasing global price of oil and to some shipments of refined gasoline being stopped at international borders, as the Region imports most of its gasoline from neighboring countries.
The prime minister had tasked the natural resources minister to visit Baghdad to solve the issue and to prepare a plan with private sectors for future imports of fuel, KRG spokesman Jotiar Adil said.
