ERBIL (Kurdistan Chronicle) — A joint committee has been formed by the regional government of Kurdistan and the federal government of Iraq to draft the long-awaited oil and gas law, a statement said on Sunday. 

The decision was made during a meeting between high-ranking delegations from the Erbil and Baghdad. 

The Kurdistan Region delegation arrived in the Iraqi capital on Sunday for the second visit in the past two weeks, showing determination in the long search for a solution to the outstanding disputes between the regional and federal governments. 

A previous statement said the delegation is also set to discuss budget disputes with relevant authorities in Baghdad. 

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Spokesperson Jotiar Adil said last Thursday that Erbil and Baghdad have reached an initial agreement on the 2023 budget law. However, he noted that additional negotiations would be needed to address technical differences. 

On February 11, the KRG negotiating team announced a new round of talks focusing on a wide-range of pending disputes. It has already met with Ministry of Oil, Ministry of Planning, Board of Customs Offices, and Iraq’s state oil marketing company known as SOMO. 

Disputes over oil exports by the Kurdistan Region further deepened after Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court in February 2022 deemed it unconstitutional and called for Iraqi Federal Government’s full control over Kurdistan Region’s oilfields. 

However, the Kurds condemned the ruling and called it a “politically motivated decision” that harms the relations between Erbil and Baghdad.