Myles Caggins, spokesperson for the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR), told Rudaw English that oil producers “remain ready to resume exports as soon as we have new agreements for sales and lifting.”
“APIKUR appreciates the intent and statements from both Prime Minister Sudani and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz indicating the high priority of restoring oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline,” Caggins said.
During the meeting, Waltz encouraged Baghdad to work with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to address the companies’ persisting contract disputes and “pay arrears owed to U.S. energy companies,” according to his statement on X.
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline have been halted since March 2023 after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin independent oil exports in 2014.
The Iraqi parliament in early February approved amendments to the federal budget law to authorize a $16 per barrel production and transport fee for international oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region. This move is seen as crucial to restarting oil exports.
The amendments also stipulated that the Iraqi federal government and the KRG must establish an international technical consultant body within 60 days to assess production and transportation costs for oil fields in the Kurdistan Region. If no agreement is reached, the federal council of ministers will appoint the body.
“We are ready to meet with all parties,” Caggins said.
On Saturday, Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi told Rudaw that all major obstacles have been cleared for the resumption of the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports and that they “may restart this month.”
