According to al-Jazeera, citing various (alas unnamed Russian and Kurdish diplomats/officials), Russia financially "saved" the KRG at a crucial time, by having its major oil/gas companies Rosneft and Gazprom invest in the KRG.

Having racked up a debt of between $20bn and $25bn (way above the size of its economy), the KRG was running out of options to save itself from bankruptcy. In March 2016, the KRG offered major oil assets to Turkey in exchange for $5bn in debt forgiveness and cash, in addition to the $1bn Ankara had already lent; major oil deals were also offered to US companies. Both the Turks and the Americans, however, appeared reluctant to take up what was on offer. [...]

on February 21, Rosneft joined Gazprom as a major investor in the Kurdish region [of Iraq] by signing a deal worth $2.1bn for pre-paid oil for 2017-2019 and becoming the first major oil company to pre-finance KRG oil. That cash injection was crucial.

OTOH:

Iraq’s top court last February [2022] found the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law to be “unconstitutional,” therefore striking down the legal basis for the independence of the Region’s oil and gas sector. The court’s decision was repeatedly slammed by top Kurdish leaders [...]

But I'm curious if the Iraqi government has said something more explicit about those deals that the KRG made with Russian companies. Were they deemed legal (or illegal) by Iraq's central government?

According to al-Jazeera, citing various (alas unnamed Russian and Kurdish diplomats/officials), Russia financially "saved" the KRG at a crucial time, by having its major oil/gas companies Rosneft and Gazprom invest in the KRG.

Having racked up a debt of between $20bn and $25bn (way above the size of its economy), the KRG was running out of options to save itself from bankruptcy. In March 2016, the KRG offered major oil assets to Turkey in exchange for $5bn in debt forgiveness and cash, in addition to the $1bn Ankara had already lent; major oil deals were also offered to US companies. Both the Turks and the Americans, however, appeared reluctant to take up what was on offer. [...]

on February 21 [2017?], Rosneft joined Gazprom as a major investor in the Kurdish region [of Iraq] by signing a deal worth $2.1bn for pre-paid oil for 2017-2019 and becoming the first major oil company to pre-finance KRG oil. That cash injection was crucial.

It then discusses a few more similar deals KRG struck with Rosneft in September-October 2017, totalling $2.8 billion, and notes these were done around the [time of the] Kurdish independence referendum that year.

OTOH:

Iraq’s top court last February [2022] found the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law to be “unconstitutional,” therefore striking down the legal basis for the independence of the Region’s oil and gas sector. The court’s decision was repeatedly slammed by top Kurdish leaders [...]

But I'm curious if the Iraqi government has said something more explicit about those deals that the KRG made with Russian companies. Were they deemed legal (or illegal) by Iraq's central government?

According to al-Jazeera, citing various (alas unnamed Russian and Kurdish diplomats/officials), Russia financially "saved" the KRG at a crucial time, by having its major oil/gas companies Rosneft and Gazprom invest in the KRG.

Having racked up a debt of between $20bn and $25bn (way above the size of its economy), the KRG was running out of options to save itself from bankruptcy. In March 2016, the KRG offered major oil assets to Turkey in exchange for $5bn in debt forgiveness and cash, in addition to the $1bn Ankara had already lent; major oil deals were also offered to US companies. Both the Turks and the Americans, however, appeared reluctant to take up what was on offer. [...]

on February 21, Rosneft joined Gazprom as a major investor in the Kurdish region [of Iraq] by signing a deal worth $2.1bn for pre-paid oil for 2017-2019 and becoming the first major oil company to pre-finance KRG oil. That cash injection was crucial.

OTOH:

Iraq’s top court last February [2022] found the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law to be “unconstitutional,” therefore striking down the legal basis for the independence of the Region’s oil and gas sector.

But I'm curious if the Iraqi government has said something more explicit about those deals that the KRG made with Russian companies. Were they deemed legal (or illegal) by Iraq's central government?

According to al-Jazeera, citing various (alas unnamed Russian and Kurdish diplomats/officials), Russia financially "saved" the KRG at a crucial time, by having its major oil/gas companies Rosneft and Gazprom invest in the KRG.

Having racked up a debt of between $20bn and $25bn (way above the size of its economy), the KRG was running out of options to save itself from bankruptcy. In March 2016, the KRG offered major oil assets to Turkey in exchange for $5bn in debt forgiveness and cash, in addition to the $1bn Ankara had already lent; major oil deals were also offered to US companies. Both the Turks and the Americans, however, appeared reluctant to take up what was on offer. [...]

on February 21, Rosneft joined Gazprom as a major investor in the Kurdish region [of Iraq] by signing a deal worth $2.1bn for pre-paid oil for 2017-2019 and becoming the first major oil company to pre-finance KRG oil. That cash injection was crucial.

OTOH:

Iraq’s top court last February [2022] found the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law to be “unconstitutional,” therefore striking down the legal basis for the independence of the Region’s oil and gas sector. The court’s decision was repeatedly slammed by top Kurdish leaders [...]

But I'm curious if the Iraqi government has said something more explicit about those deals that the KRG made with Russian companies. Were they deemed legal (or illegal) by Iraq's central government?