KDP boycotts parliament session on oil exports, cites agenda violation

BAGHDAD — The Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc announced Tuesday it would boycott a parliament session scheduled for the evening to discuss oil exports, saying the agenda was set without the approval of the council presidency in violation of parliamentary regulations.

“This session in its current form constitutes a violation of legislative procedures,” the bloc said, calling on the council presidency to “adhere to the internal regulations of the parliament to preserve the institution’s authority and credibility.” Second Deputy Speaker Farhad Atrushi, who is from the KDP, separately objected to the agenda being set without agreement between the speaker and his deputies, saying the practice had been repeated on more than one occasion.

Iraq’s Oil Ministry accused the KRG Tuesday of taking a “purely political” position and threatened legal action, while Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani pushed back, saying “the Kurdistan Region is not an obstacle to oil exports” and attributing the production shortfall to militia attacks on energy infrastructure and the dollar embargo Baghdad imposed on Kurdistan Region traders since January.