Russia 'committed' to Iraq despite Kurdish oil ties: Lavrov

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow is committed to Iraq's territorial integrity after the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a controversial plebiscite on secession.

"I would like to confirm once again our commitment and respect to Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Lavrov said at a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Moscow on Monday.

Russia’s top diplomat further said that Moscow respects the desire of Iraq's Kurdistan to seek to assert its identity. However, he stressed that this must be done in dialog with the Iraq’s central government.

Lavrov said Russia will also continue its economic relations with the Iraqi Kurdistan, as it does with the rest of Iraq even as government troops have retaken control of major oil fields in Kirkuk.

The top Russian diplomat said Moscow was not closing its consulate in the Kurdish capital city of Erbil, but the mission was subordinate to the country's embassy in Baghdad.

Last week, Russian energy giant Rosneft signed a deal to put production sharing agreements into force with respect to five production blocks in the Iraqi Kurdistan.

The announcement ignited condemnation by the Iraq's oil ministry, which cautioned oil companies against signing contracts with authorities in the semi-autonomous region without its approval.

"This department and the Iraqi federal government are the only two bodies with whom agreements should be reached for the development and investments in the energy sector," the ministry said in a statement.

Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaybi also denounced the "irresponsible announcements coming from certain officials in Iraq or abroad, or from foreign companies about their intention to conclude deals with parties in Iraq without the federal government being aware."

Tensions flared up between Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region and the central government in Baghdad after the KRG held a highly controversial plebiscite on secession.

The referendum was held on September 25 despite strong opposition from the central government in Baghdad, the international community, and Iraq's neighboring countries, especially Turkey and Iran.

Following the vote, Baghdad imposed a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region and called for a halt to its independent crude oil sales.

Kurdistan elections delayed

On Monday, head of the electoral commission in Iraq’s Kurdistan region Hendrean Mohammed said presidential and legislative elections will not be held as planned on November 1 as political parties have not presented candidates.

He said the commission will refer the matter to the regional parliament to set a new date for the elections. The deadline to present candidates expired last week and was extended until Monday.

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