During a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated the Prime Minister for resuming oil exports from the Kurdistan Region via the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline.

He underlined that this will benefit Iraq, Turkey, and U.S. businesses.

Read More: Kurdistan’s Oil Exports Set to Re-enter the Global Market

Furthermore, Secretary Rubio highlighted the urgency in disarming militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty and threaten the lives and businesses of Americans and Iraqis.

Secretary Rubio “reiterated the U.S. commitment to working closely with Iraqi partners to advance our shared interests: safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty, bolstering regional stability, and strengthening our economic ties.”

The Kurdistan Region’s oil exports were halted in 2023 after an arbitration court in Paris ruled in favor of Baghdad in its dispute with Turkey over independent Kurdish oil exports.

However, they were resumed on September 27 after a tripartite agreement was reached between international oil companies, Baghdad, and Erbil.

Read More: KRG PM Hails Historic Resumption of Kurdistan Oil Exports

Myles Caggins, spokesperson for the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan, which represents several oil companies in Kurdistan, previously told Kurdistan Chronicle that “the visionary leadership from both [Kurdistan Regional Government] Prime Minister [Masrour] Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani were essential to achieving historic and unique written agreements that honor existing contracts and comply with Iraq’s budget law.”

In a meeting on Tuesday with Turkey’s Ambassador to Iraq Anil Bora Inan, Prime Minister Barzani underscored the importance of the oil agreement “as a step toward the eventual passage of the long-awaited federal oil and gas law in the next session of the Iraqi Parliament.”