Page 14 - MEOG Week 21 2021

MEOG NEWS IN BRIEF MEOG

POLICY the 2021 national budget, accusing Baghdad federal and regional governments reached
of not fulfilling its obligations despite Erbil’s an agreement on some issues of dispute,
Russia offers cooperation commitment to the legislation. namely oil sales and non-oil revenues, in a
step that KRG officials said at the time would
“The Iraqi government has not committed
with Saudi Arabia on to implementing the budget law, nor has it help reduce immediate tensions between
them and pave the way for resolving other
sent financial dues to the region,” said Hemin
hydrogen production Hawrami at a press conference held in Erbil. disagreements.
Previously, Kurdistan Region Prime
This comes just after the Kurdistan
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Regional Government’s (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister Masrour Barzani praised the
Novak on Tuesday offered to work with Minister Qubad Talabani had announced that approval of the federal budget and said it
Saudi Arabia on hydrogen production, talks between Erbil and Baghdad, ostensibly helped restore a “glimmer of hope” to relations
speaking during an online meeting of the just to iron out technical details for the with the federal government.
intergovernmental commission of Russia and budget’s implementation, had not stopped KURDISTAN24
Saudi Arabia. and that a government delegation would be
“We have a proposal to create a working traveling to Baghdad to discuss reasons for the
group on hydrogen energy,” Novak said. delay. COMPANIES
Hydrogen has gained traction as the future Read More: Kurdistan Region delegation
green fuel of choice, increasingly touted as a will return to Baghdad next week for talks on KOC awards its largest
way to decarbonise emissions-intensive heavy budget, salaries
industry and transportation. In March, the Iraqi parliament voted on environment project
Oil and gas rich Russia has been slow in the federal budget, including the Kurdistan
developing production of hydrogen gas, a Region’s share, after often tense negotiations Kuwait Oil Co. (KOC) has awarded its largest
fuel that emits only water vapor and warm air spanning for several months. In the weeks that environmental project for cleaning polluted
when burned, rather than carbon dioxide. followed, the Iraqi president then signed the soil at a total cost of more than KD1 billion
Saudi Arabia, which plans to diversify the bill into effect. to various local and international companies,
economy, is considering several large-scale “The Iraqi government has not sent a single reports Al-Anba daily quoting sources.
project to produce hydrogen. dinar” since the approval of the 2021 budget, Sources revealed the Central Agency for
Novak said that both Russia and Saudi Hawrami stated, adding that the KRG has also Public Tenders (CAPT) has agreed to award
Arabia have great potential to develop never received its monthly allotments for up five stages of the project – which is considered
traditional and renewable sources of energy. to a year in 2020 and early 2021. one of the largest in the world – to local
REUTERS The overall budget amounted to 164.4 and international companies; affirming the
trillion dinars, about $112 billion, and a fiscal contracts will be signed within the next two
Baghdad yet to send ‘a deficit of 63 trillion dinars, or roughly $43 weeks.
Sources told the daily that the North
billion.
single dinar’ since passage issues regarding multiple issues including law Kuwait Drilling, Transport and Processing
There are indeed still pending technical
Project is divided into two sites with a total
of 2021 budget enforcement mechanisms in both Iraq and value of $381.58 million.
the Kurdistan Region, but Kurdish officials
The first site (Zone One) was awarded
The deputy speaker of the Kurdistan have consistently argued that this is in no way to the alliance of Khaled Ali Al-Kharafiand
Region’s parliament said on Tuesday that a legitimate excuse for not transferring the Brothers for Construction Contracting and
the autonomous region has still not received funds, in particular those earmarked to pay Lamor Corporation as per the terms and
finance disbursements it is owed by the federal KRG government salaries. specifications for a total amount of $193.58
government in Baghdad since the approval of The budget was approved after the million.

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 21 26•May•2021