Kurdistan
Senior advisor to Kurdistan Region Presidency, Falah Mustafa, speaking to Rudaw on February 18, 2022. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – It is important that Erbil and Baghdad strategize together in order to make better use of natural gas resources, a senior advisor to the president of the Kurdistan Region told Rudaw on Saturday.
“For us, energy security is important, but before that, it is important to us that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), or within Kurdistan Region, have a common stance and work on a strategy with Baghdad to be able to make use of that natural resource and develop the country,” Falah Mustafa told Rudaw’s Alla Shally on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Europe is looking for alternative sources of natural gas to end its dependency on Russian reserves. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Friday told Rudaw that Iraq could be a new energy source for Europe. The Polish leader and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met on the sidelines of the conference.
Mustafa said that, so far Kurdistan Region’s natural gas has been used solely for domestic purposes, and “later with the help of Erbil and Baghdad, with Turkey, we can help in that global topic.”
The Kurdistan Region exports close to half a million barrels of oil per day to the international market. It also has as much as 5.67 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves, which the KRG has said could put the region in a prominent position in global gas markets. However, years of conflict between Erbil and Baghdad over budgets and energy has prevented both sides from making use of their natural gas reserves.
The budget has been a frequent point of contention between Erbil and Baghdad, especially after the Kurdistan Region's decision to sell its oil through Turkey. Almost two years after Iraq passed its last budget law, Erbil and Baghdad remain in disagreement over several key issues. Kurdish government delegations have traveled to Baghdad on several occasions to reach common ground with the Iraqi government, however, they have yet to reach a resolution.
Iraq exported 438,000 tons of gas condensate in the first eleven months of 2022, but the country has never been a strong global competitor in gas exports. Instead, it is dependent on gas imports, mainly from Iran, to generate electricity.
“For us, energy security is important, but before that, it is important to us that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), or within Kurdistan Region, have a common stance and work on a strategy with Baghdad to be able to make use of that natural resource and develop the country,” Falah Mustafa told Rudaw’s Alla Shally on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Europe is looking for alternative sources of natural gas to end its dependency on Russian reserves. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Friday told Rudaw that Iraq could be a new energy source for Europe. The Polish leader and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met on the sidelines of the conference.
Mustafa said that, so far Kurdistan Region’s natural gas has been used solely for domestic purposes, and “later with the help of Erbil and Baghdad, with Turkey, we can help in that global topic.”
The Kurdistan Region exports close to half a million barrels of oil per day to the international market. It also has as much as 5.67 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves, which the KRG has said could put the region in a prominent position in global gas markets. However, years of conflict between Erbil and Baghdad over budgets and energy has prevented both sides from making use of their natural gas reserves.
The budget has been a frequent point of contention between Erbil and Baghdad, especially after the Kurdistan Region's decision to sell its oil through Turkey. Almost two years after Iraq passed its last budget law, Erbil and Baghdad remain in disagreement over several key issues. Kurdish government delegations have traveled to Baghdad on several occasions to reach common ground with the Iraqi government, however, they have yet to reach a resolution.
Iraq exported 438,000 tons of gas condensate in the first eleven months of 2022, but the country has never been a strong global competitor in gas exports. Instead, it is dependent on gas imports, mainly from Iran, to generate electricity.
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