Iraqi Oil Minister says disputes between Erbil, Baghdad 'solvable'
The Iraqi Oil Minister has described the ongoing disputes over oil production and financing between the central government and the autonomous Kurdistan Region as "solvable."
In remarks, Minister Thamer al-Ghadhban said "there are solutions that we can reach... based on the constitution which stipulates that oil and gas belong to the Iraqi people in all provinces and regions.”
Ghadhban stressed that there must be a "unit of resources" to take responsibility for production and determine who exports it, "These are all points with solutions,” he added.
"We have agreed for months to prepare a paper of principles to be agreed upon by both parties," he said. "I don't think there is an issue that we cannot resolve if there is trust and goodwill,” Ghadhban said.
Tensions occurred between Erbil and Baghdad in the wake of Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum in September 2017. However, relations began to improve After the formation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi's government in late 2018.