SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers Wednesday formed a negotiator team to hold talks with Iraqi officials regarding the Erbil-Baghdad outstanding issues.
A statement revealed the Council of Ministers met on several topics, covering Erbil-Baghdad’s new relations and the mechanism of resolving the outstanding issues between the two sides on a constitutional basis.
The meeting also decided to form a negotiation team to hold talks with Iraqi officials regarding the Region’s budget share, oil and gas dossier, and so forth.
The team comprises the Finance and Natural Resources Ministers and the Minister of planning as well as the President of the Council Ministers Diwan, the secretary of the Council Ministers with the Head of the Department of Coordination and Follow-Up and ultimately the Spokesman of the Regional Government.
The relations between the KRG and the Federal Government have been rocky since the Region developed its own oil and gas resources independently of the federal government.
The Region’s massive untapped oil reserves, lucrative production-sharing contracts and safe environment have prompted international oil companies over recent years to commit to investing billions of dollars there.
However, the Federal government has protested against that move by the KRG, showing tough stances several times by issuing decisions against the Region as well as cutting its monthly share in the country’s budget.
