Iraq's termination of the contract with LUKOIL for the development of the Qurna-2 field was caused not by political, but by economic reasons. Iraqi Ambassador Abbas Khalaf Kunfud announced this today at a press conference in Moscow. According to him, the main reason for this step is LUKOIL’s failure to fulfill contract obligations related to the development of the field. LUKOIL only signed the contract, but did not fulfill it, the diplomat pointed out.

Abbas Khalaf Kunfud called unfounded the allegations that the sanctions regime against Iraq allegedly prevents the development of the field by LUKOIL. According to the ambassador, many oil producing companies, including Russian ones, operate under the sanctions regime. Among those successfully operating in Iraq, he named such Russian companies as Stroytransgaz, Tatneft, Sibneft, Mashinoimport, and Zarubezhneft. The ambassador said that Iraq intends to continue large-scale cooperation with Russia in the field of oil and gas production.

Answering the question of who will develop the field after the contract with LUKOIL is broken, Abbas Khalaf Kunfud emphasized that “Iraq is relying only on Russian companies in the development and development of oil and gas fields.” The ambassador also said that more than 2 million barrels are produced and exported in Iraq under the Oil for Food program. oil per day.

However, the Russian government reacted extremely negatively to reports of Iraq's decision to cancel the agreement with LUKOIL. According to a source in the Russian government, such a step on the part of Baghdad “deprives Russia of one of the important incentives to counteract the military action against Iraq,” the Rossiya TV channel reports.

A number of analysts cite the reason for the termination of the contract between LUKOIL and Iraq as V. Alekperov’s statement that his company received guarantees from Russian President Vladimir Putin that even if Saddam Hussein is overthrown, the company’s position in the region will not be jeopardized.

Ambassador of Iraq: The termination of the contract with LUKOIL is due to economic reasons