“The meeting, which was attended by the Turkish foreign, defense, energy, natural resources, and trade ministers, discussed the general situation in Iraq and the region and the development of bilateral relations,” the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said in a statement about the meeting, on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai.
Turkey and the Kurdistan Region enjoy strong ties and economic relations, with most of the Region’s crude oil being exported to the international markets through Turkey until March of last year when a Paris arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad, saying that Ankara had breached a 1973 agreement when it allowed the Kurdistan Region to begin independent oil exports in 2014, resulting in the suspension of the flow of Kurdish oil to Turkey.
Prior to the halt, around 400,000 barrels a day were being exported by Erbil through Ankara, in addition to some 75,000 barrels from federally-controlled oilfields in Kirkuk.
“Both sides stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and coordination in order to maintain security and stability in the region,” the statement said.
In June, Barzani and Erdogan met in Ankara to discuss bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey.
