A source told Baghdad Today the reason for the stalled oil negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil. , 21 M ARCH

  A source told Baghdad Today the reason for the stalled oil negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil. 

An informed source reported on Thursday (March 20, 2025) that the meeting between the delegations of the federal government and the Kurdistan Region increased tensions between the two parties, instead of reaching solutions.

The source added to Baghdad Today that "the reason for this is the federal delegation's insistence on handing over management of the central oil fields, which are managed by the regional government."

He pointed out that "the federal authorities insist on handing it over to them, so that the British company BP can invest in it."

He concluded by saying, "During the meeting, it was decided to send specialized technical teams to monitor the progress of work in the fields, audit production volumes, and monitor the quantities being exported by truck."

In turn, the regional government spokesman, Peshwa Hawrami, said, "We have declared since the beginning of the dispute with the federal government that we have nothing to hide regarding financial matters, oil, and other issues."

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani had previously stated that the contract between the British company and the Iraqi government concerned "disputed areas." 

It's worth noting that the Kurdistan Region of Iraq lost approximately $20 billion in oil revenues as a result of the Iraqi government's victory in a case at the International Court of Justice, which barred Turkey from exporting resources from the Kurdistan Region without first obtaining the approval of the Baghdad government. The ban on exporting resources from the region remains in place to this day.  link