Statement on the amendment to the federal budget to resume oil exports

After extensive meetings and efforts to amend the federal budget law in the Council of Representatives to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region, and despite the first and second readings, unfortunately a vote failed to take place at the final moment yesterday.

We were surprised to learn that a proposal by the representative of the federal government in the Council of Representatives was submitted unilaterally, without the input of the Kurdistan Regional Government or approval by the federal Council of Ministers. This proposal contradicts the previous decision of the federal Council of Ministers regarding the amendment of the budget law to restart oil exports from the Kurdistan Region.

These efforts harm Iraq as a whole, deepen existing problems, and do not serve the interests of resolving disputes. Moreover, these recent efforts and the proposal violate the Constitution, and we reject them outright.

The proposal that we agreed to must be put to the vote.

Peshawa Hawramani
Spokesman of the Kurdistan Regional Government