ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has deployed security forces to some of the disputed areas in Diyala province to facilitate the operations of foreign companies working to explore oil and gas. China’s Geo-Jade Petroleum has signed an agreement to explore oil and gas in the Naft Khana oil field in Khanaqin district, while the UAE's Crescent Petroleum has been awarded the exploration rights for the Galabat and Injana oil fields. Crescent was one of the first upstream private oil and gas companies in the Middle East. With its affiliate, Dana Gas, they struck a deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in 2007 to develop the Region’s gas resources. The areas in Diyala are disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, yet the Kurdish government has not been consulted. "The oil ministry is developing fields located in border areas in Diyala province in the fifth round and its appendix. Work is currently underway to develop them, and I believe there is a security limitation in one of the fields," Ali Maarij al-Bahadli, Iraqi deputy oil minister, told Rudaw. "These areas are disputed territories and are joint administrations, meaning that it requires both sides to agree on signing these contracts. No other party should unilaterally come and use the oil fields or sign oil contracts,” Suzan Mansour, a Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw. “Legally and constitutionally, this means the Kurdistan Regional Government must agree to it and be aware of it. However, unfortunately, I don't know why the Kurdistan Regional Government has remained silent on this matter until now," she said.
