Iraqi judiciary confirms oil contracts legality, Kurdistan Region declares

Iraqi judiciary confirms oil contracts legality, Kurdistan Region declares
2025-01-30 21:13

Shafaq News/ The Ministry of Natural Resources in the Kurdistan Region announced, on Thursday, that the Iraqi Court of Cassation issued a ruling confirming the legality of contracts between the region and oil companies.

"The Karkh Court, after several judicial sessions and a review of previous rulings, decided to reverse its prior decisions that had favored the Iraqi Ministry of Oil against the Kurdistan Region’s oil policy” the ministry said in a statement.

Criticizing the Federal Ministry of Oil, of “attempting once again to challenge the rulings in its favor”, the statement welcomed the final ruling noting that “the Iraqi Court of Cassation reinforced the legal standing of the oil contracts signed by the Kurdistan Region with operating oil and gas companies."

The ministry emphasized that this decision affirms the validity of the procedures followed by the region in signing agreements with foreign companies.

This ruling comes amid the ongoing dispute between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Region over the management of oil resources. The region asserts its right to independently regulate the oil and gas sector according to the Iraqi constitution, while Baghdad seeks to exert full control over the sector.

The oil and gas issue remains one of the most sensitive topics between Baghdad and Erbil, with recent years seeing a legal and political escalation regarding the legitimacy of the contracts signed by the region with foreign companies.

In 2022, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court ruled that the Kurdistan Region's oil and gas law was unconstitutional, prompting the central government to attempt to assert control over the sector.

Despite this, the region continues to defend its position, citing its interpretation of the Iraqi constitution, which grants it extensive powers to manage its natural resources.

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