Masrour Barzani: Federal Government Representative's Proposal to Amend the Federal Budget Law Was Unexpected

ARK News.. The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, expressed surprise at the proposal from the federal government representative in the Iraqi Parliament to amend the Federal Budget Law concerning the resumption of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region.

In statements published by Bloomberg, Barzani said he was taken aback by the changes made to the approved draft regarding oil production costs, as well as the unexpected postponement of the vote this week. He noted that this could pose a new obstacle to resuming the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports, which have been halted for nearly two years.

In November 2024, the Federal Council of Ministers approved a draft law allocating $16 for each barrel of oil produced in the Kurdistan Region. Masrour Barzani clarified that the Iraqi Parliament was expected to vote on the draft law, following two readings, on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. However, the vote was unexpectedly delayed after amendments were introduced.

Speaking in an interview during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Barzani stated:
"We anticipated that Parliament would vote on a draft agreed upon by the federal government, the Kurdistan Region, and international oil companies."

The Prime Minister expressed "great astonishment" at the emergence of an alternative draft prepared "without consulting the Kurdistan Region."

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