Baghdad-Erbil oil disputes on hold until Mosul liberation
Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi spoke to Al-Monitor about production and revenue-sharing disputes between Baghdad and Erbil, and addressed plans to attract foreign investors to the country’s energy sector.
WASHINGTON — Iraq’s Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi, speaking to Al-Monitor during a visit to the United States to meet with US government officials and energy executives, addressed the challenges facing his country’s oil sector, including disputes between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil over production and revenue sharing.
Luaibi commented on the disputed areas, noting that the KRG takes two-thirds of the total oil produced in Kirkuk, which he estimated at around 500,000 barrels daily.
While he lamented a lack of transparency from Erbil on oil issues in general, the minister stressed that relations between the two sides are going “smoothly.” He said they would eventually resolve their differences, but likely not until after current operations against the Islamic State (IS) conclude.
“The government is not ready to enter into more discussions with the KRG regarding [differences over oil]. … The time for this will come, after the Mosul liberation,” Luaibi said.
