Azerbaijan, Baku, June 21 / Trend A. Taghiyeva /
Iraq has warned the French oil companies not to sign oil contracts with the Kurdish autonomy without first obtaining permission from the central government, TV channel Al-Jazeera said today, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani said during a meeting with the French Ambassador to the country Denys Gauer.
Shahristani also expressed his country's desire to establish close ties with France, especially in the energy sector.
He said that if any French company and in particular Total signs an agreement on oil cooperation with the Kurdish autonomy, then this means that all oil agreements previously signed between Iraq and France, will be cancelled.
Relations between the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq and Baghdad deteriorated in October 2011 after the U.S Exxon Mobil Company received permission from the Kurdish administration authorities to conduct oil exploration and production in the Iraqi region. Baghdad considered the deal as illegal and warned the company that if it does not abandon the agreement with the Kurds, its deals with the central Iraqi government may be revised.
According to BP, Iraq's proven oil reserves as of late 2011 amounted to 143.1 billion barrels. The country ranks third in OPEC after Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The territory of the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq has oil reserves of 45 billion barrels.