ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Baghdad’s oil minister voiced support for international and American companies operating in Iraq during the Iraqi delegation’s visit to Washington this week, signaling an invitation for increased partnership.
“We support all companies operating in Iraq, whether they are American, European, or any other company,” Iraqi oil minister Bassim Khudair told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda in Washington DC on Tuesday. “We consider the companies operating in the oil and gas sector to be our partners, not just contractors.”
The oil minister said that Baghdad is “in talks with these [international] companies to increase the production capacity of the fields located in the Region in order to increase exports.”
His remarks come as Iraq seeks to redefine relations with the US through new investment and partnership opportunities as the current cooperation framework through the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (Islamic State) and several European advisory missions, who conduct their military missions in Iraq, is coming to an end on September 30.
Baghdad continues efforts to push for the exit of foreign militaries and various factions, as well as consolidate armament under state control, as Iraq moves to enter "a new phase" focused on building "a strong, sovereign state free of corruption and supported by a strong and sustainable economy," according to a statement published on Wednesday by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's office.
Iraqi oil minister signaled Iraq as a strong and stable partner for new partnerships, citing the recent tripartite agreement between the Kurdistan Region, the Ministry of Oil, and the companies operating in Iraq which “has allowed for oil exports exclusively through SOMO [State Organization for Marketing of Oil], according to SOMO's mechanisms.”
Iraq has signed a contract with Texas-based HKN Energy to develop an oil field in the central Salahaddin province, the country’s oil ministry reported Thursday, days after Baghdad struck another agreement with American oil giant Halliburton for the development of two oilfields in southern Iraq.
As convenings take place this week in Washington, Zaidi has affirmed that Iraqis will "see the results of these measures during the coming year," with improvements expected in "energy and investment, alongside enhanced stability."
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