Turkmen MPs propose a formula to untangle the dilemma of Kurdistan's share of the budget

Shafaq News/ The head of the Turkmen Front, MP Arshad al-Salihi, said on Sunday that the representatives of the Turkmen component in the Iraqi Parliament submitted a proposal regarding the issue of handing over Kurdistan Region oil to the Federal "SOMO" company.

"Unfortunately, the tussles on the budget between the region and Baghdad has not been unraveled," al-Salihi said in a video broadcasted early this morning on Facebook.

He added, "There were two proposals. The one sent by the government suggests that the region hands over 250 thousand barrels of oil per day to be delivered 'SOMO' company, but some political blocs vetoed the proposal."

He continued, "Then the Shiite bloc submitted a proposal in this regard. The region hands over at least 460,000 barrels of oil per day, excluding production, transportation, and operating expenses in addition to the petro-dollar allocations to the region."

Al-Salehi said, "there was a proposal from the Turkmen representatives, which is that the Kurdistan Regional Government should commit to exporting all the oil produced from the fields of the region through the 'SOMO' company, taking into consideration the costs of transportation, extraction, operation, and the quantities consumed."

The Iraqi Parliament adjourned the session dedicated to voting on the 2021 budget bill until next week due to the profound discrepancies upon the region's share.

Shiite blocs refused the agreement reached between the Regional and the Federal governments, stipulating that Erbil delivers 250,000 barrels a day in exchange for 12.6% of the Federal Budget's allocations.