ANKARA (Turkey), January 10 (SeeNews) – The plans of the regional government of Kurdistan to sell its first oil shipment via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline without receiving the approval of Iraq’s government violates the constitution, the country’s oil ministry said on Friday.
Iraq’s federal ministry of oil, represented by the state-owned Oil Marketing Company (SOMO), is the only official body exclusively authorized to export hydrocarbon resources including crude oil and gas, the ministry said in a statement in response to the regional government of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan’s announcement of its plans to sell its first oil shipment via a new pipeline to Turkey at the end of January.
Iraq’s oil ministry also slammed the Turkish government, represented by its energy ministry and state-owned company Botas, for allowing pumping and storing of crude oil produced in Kurdistan via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline system without receiving the approval of the federal government of Iraq.
Kurdistan regional government said in a statement on Wednesday that it has started crude oil shipment to Turkey and expects to sell the first batch of 2.0 million barrels of oil at the end of January. The regional government's ministry of natural resources is inviting expressions of interest in participating in the January tender or any future tenders, it said in the statement.