Latest news with #Dizayee
Rudaw Net
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
KRG requested defence system from US: Official
Also in World Paris to host next round of SDF-Damascus talks Israeli, Syrian officials meet in Paris US must pressure Syria to protect minority rights: USCRIF French, US officials to meet with Syrian FM in Paris: Source A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil has asked the United States to provide the Kurdistan Region with a defence system after recent drone attacks targeted oil fields including some operated by American companies, a government official said on Friday. Safeen Dizayee, head of the Department of Foreign Relations in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), held a series of meetings with US officials and policymakers earlier this week during a trip to Washington. He said his discussions included providing a defence system for the Kurdistan Region to protect it from drone attacks blamed on Iraq's pro-Iran armed groups. 'They [the attacks] are concerning, given that we are trying to create self-reliance in the fields of oil and gas in Iraq. These attempts are aimed at preventing the development of the fields. We have discussed this [with the Americans] and they are concerned. We have also discussed the establishment of a defence system, not just to protect the interests of the American and foreign companies but those of Kurdistan and Iraq too,' Dizayee told Rudaw. Since early July, nearly 20 drone attacks have hit the Kurdistan Region, most targeting oil fields and causing significant financial losses. No group has claimed responsibility and there have been no new attacks since Erbil and Baghdad reached a new agreement on finances and oil exports last week. The KRG has directly accused Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which includes pro-Iran groups, of being behind the drone attacks. Baghdad has denied the charge. The drones were seen by many as a pressure tactic by pro-Iran groups to make Erbil compromise with the federal government during negotiations over the resumption of the KRG's oil exports. The attacks have been condemned locally and internationally, including by the US, UK and UN. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani earlier this week and 'stressed the importance of the Iraqi government holding the perpetrators accountable and preventing future attacks,' read a statement from State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Wednesday. The Iraqi government launched an investigation into the strikes but has yet to announce the results. The federal parliament failed to discuss the matter on Monday after Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the session for unknown reasons. Iraq is largely dependent on energy imports from Iran, though the supply is irregular. Baghdad is also working to direct its own natural gas to power generation plants and end the damaging practice of flaring. Gas imports from Jordan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan are also being considered. The United States in March rescinded a waiver allowing Iraq to purchase electricity from Iran as part of President Donald Trump's maximum pressure campaign against Tehran. KRG officials have repeatedly said that developing Kurdistan Region's gas fields will benefit the whole country but Iraqi officials have come out against some of its ventures, including a recent deal with an American firm to develop the Miran Gas Field through their newly formed joint company, Miran Energy.
Arab News
18-02-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Kurdistan region's pipeline restart ready to go, foreign minister says
BAGHDAD: A major pipeline connecting Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region to Turkiye is ready to reopen and resume exports, the Kurdish foreign minister said on Tuesday, potentially ending a dispute between Baghdad and Irbil that led to the closure of the pipeline in 2023. Foreign Minister Safeen Dizayee declined to say when the pipeline would reopen but said it would mark a turning point in relations between Kurdistan and Baghdad. Iraq's oil minister said on Monday the Iraq-Turkiye pipeline (ITP) will resume next week. 'All arrangements that were set on the table have been agreed to, with the aim to prepare for re-exports. There shouldn't be any hiccups. The legal aspects have been met, the technical aspects are in place,' Dizayee told Reuters by phone. 'The button just has to be pushed to increase production and then re-export.' The oil flows were halted by Turkiye in March 2023 after the International Chamber of Commerce ordered Ankara to pay Baghdad damages of $1.5 billion for unauthorized pipeline exports by the Kurdistan Regional Government between 2014 and 2018. Negotiations to restart the pipeline have been ongoing, with US officials participating in some of the talks. Resuming oil exports will boost the Kurdistan region's budget, Dizayee said. 'This means Kurdistan will benefit from the federal budget and hopefully this will end the saga of (civil servants') salaries coming or not coming, received in dribs and drabs,' Dizayee said. Baghdad has periodically withheld the Kurdistan region's share of the federal budget to try to stop it from exporting oil independently. Oil producers in the Kurdistan region have had to wind down production without an export route. It will likely take some time for them to restart their oil wells and for the pipeline to use its full capacity. Before it was shut down, it transported around 450,000 barrels per day. 'They've invested a lot. It was a risk they took and it must pay off. They [the companies] need assurances that their investment will not be down the drain,' Dizayee said. 'Compensation is something that needs to be discussed.' An international consultancy will be brought in to do an assessment of the cost of production, expenses, cost recovery and the production sharing agreements, he said.
Al Arabiya
18-02-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Kurdistan region's pipeline restart ready to go, foreign minister says
A major pipeline connecting Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region to Turkey is ready to reopen and resume exports, the Kurdish foreign minister said on Tuesday, potentially ending a dispute between Baghdad and Erbil that led to the closure of the pipeline in 2023. Foreign Minister Safeen Dizayee declined to say when the pipeline would reopen but said it would mark a turning point in relations between Kurdistan and Baghdad. Iraq's oil minister said on Monday the Iraq-Turkey pipeline (ITP) will resume next week. 'All arrangements that were set on the table have been agreed to, with the aim to prepare for re-exports. There shouldn't be any hiccups. The legal aspects have been met, the technical aspects are in place,' Dizayee told Reuters by phone. 'The button just has to be pushed to increase production and then re-export.' The oil flows were halted by Turkey in March 2023 after the International Chamber of Commerce ordered Ankara to pay Baghdad damages of $1.5 billion for unauthorized pipeline exports by the Kurdistan Regional Government between 2014 and 2018. Negotiations to restart the pipeline have been ongoing, with US officials participating in some of the talks. Resuming oil exports will boost the Kurdistan region's budget, Dizayee said. 'This means Kurdistan will benefit from the federal budget and hopefully this will end the saga of (civil servants') salaries coming or not coming, received in dribs and drabs,' Dizayee said. Baghdad has periodically withheld the Kurdistan region's share of the federal budget to try to stop it from exporting oil independently. Oil producers in the Kurdistan region have had to wind down production without an export route. It will likely take some time for them to restart their oil wells and for the pipeline to use its full capacity. Before it was shut down, it transported around 450,000 barrels per day. 'They've invested a lot. It was a risk they took and it must pay off. They [the companies] need assurances that their investment will not be down the drain,' Dizayee said. 'Compensation is something that needs to be discussed.' An international consultancy will be brought in to do an assessment of the cost of production, expenses, cost recovery and the production sharing agreements, he said.
