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After the oil, Erdogan asks for gas in the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani secured his position with the region's oil. After a while of marginalization, he returned to the field and began a new deal with Erdogan.

While oil has now become a major issue between the region and Baghdad. It is not clear how the gas deal will affect the region in the future. More details are in this report.

Turkey wants the gas

Suddenly, he arrived in Ankara and met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Nechirvan Barzani's visit was so sudden that even his media did not know it, and they reported it from the Turkish president’s website.

The KRG's presidency website did not provide any information about the Nechirvan Barzani's meeting with Erdogan, but Erdogan told journalists on the sidelines of his visit to Ukraine, that he and Nechirvan Barzani had discussed sending natural gas from the Kurdistan Region to Turkey.

Nechirvan Barzani told Erdogan, "I will do whatever I can and discuss the gas deal with the central Iraqi government."

Gas after oil

Nechirvan Barzani, the engineer of the 50-year deal with Turkey to export Kurdish oil. Referring to the agreement the Kurdistan Region delivers its oil pipeline through Jihan port to Countries, such as Italy, Spain, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, and Croatia.

After oil, Nechirvan Barzani wants to send the KRG natural gas to Turkey, which is happening at a time, when European countries are afraid of facing a natural gas crisis because of the possibility of a Russian attack on Ukraine, and Russia, as the world's largest gas exporter, would stop sending gas to Europe.

According to the official website of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Kurdistan Region has 200 trillion cubic feet (5.7 trillion cubic meters) of natural gas reserves, which are 3 percent of the world's gas reserves.

But this is not proven yet, as the region's proven rate of natural gas reserves is only 25 trillion cubic feet, according to U.S. energy reports.

In a 2020 report, the Oil Price, Special Issue on Global Market for Crude Oil, mentions that only 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas has been found and is being used, which is now produced within the borders of the PUK-controlled area in the Kormor oil field.

The division of gas between KDP and PUK

Natural gas reserves are divided into PUK and KDP-controlled territories, as follows:

Reserves of the PUK-controlled territories

• Kormor Field: 8 trillion and 200 billion cubic feet

Chamchamal Field: 4 trillion and 400 billion cubic feet

• Miran Field: 3 trillion and 46 billion cubic feet

• Plkana Field: A trillion and 600 billion cubic feet

Reserves of the KDP-controlled territories

• Bna Bawe field: 7 trillion and 100 billion cubic feet

• Khormala field: 2 trillion and 260 billion cubic meters

• Shekhan field: 900 billion cubic feet

• Pirmam field: 880 billion cubic feet

Nechirvan Returns to the Political Activities

After 17 years of government leadership, in mid-2019, as part of a family agreement, Nechirvan Barzani left the prime minister position for Masrour Barzani, his cousin, and instead, Masoud Barzani vacated the post of the Kurdistan Region President for Nechirvan Barzani.

Since he took the post of President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani has been marginalized, and foreign delegations have visited Masoud Barzani as before.

But on the presidency issue, When Iran tightened its pressure on the KDP, Nechirvan Barzani's role was revealed when Masoud Barzani sent him as his representative to Najaf to discuss with Muqtada Al-Sadr.

After Iran, Turkey also gave Nechirvan Barzani another chance to return to the political field. Nechirvan Barzani's visit to Erdogan gave Nechirvan Barzani another chance to regain Kurdistan Region's energy case to Nechirvan Barzani.