ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— A government official told Rudaw that on Friday, the Kurdistan Region started exporting oil and gas to Turkey based on an agreement signed between Erbil and Ankara last month.
According to the government official, 50 percent of the export is purchased by Turkey and the remaining 50 percent will be sent to the world market.
During an official visit to Turkey last month, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani signed an agreement with Ankara that would allow Kurdistan’s oil to reach the world market via Ceyhan port on the Mediterranean Sea.
Kurdish officials expect around 400,000 barrels of oil per day to go through the new pipeline by the end of 2014.
Baghdad had initially voiced concerns about Kurdistan’s oil agreement with Ankara, saying that only the central government has the authority to export the country’s oil.
However, at an Oil and Gas conference in Erbil earlier this month, Prime Minister Barzani said, “Our deal is a great victory for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. This process is bringing both sides together and we should reach a mechanism with our Iraqi partners to share the revenue according to the constitution.”
“The Kurds will not backtrack and our agreement with Turkey isn’t a threat to anyone,” Barzani said.
