The forthcoming meeting of U.S. President Joe Biden and Iraq Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani, at the White House on April 15, is an opportunity to reach an agreement on oil production and exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan said in a statement received by Kurdistan Chronicle on April 12.

“APIKUR is optimistic that the high-level meeting between Al-Sudani and Biden will create urgency among all stakeholders to swiftly resolve issues and restore full production and exports from Iraq’s Kurdistan Region,” the association stated, which represents a number of international oil companies (IOCs) operating in the Kurdistan Region.

Last year on March 25, 2023, independent oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through Turkey were halted after a Paris-based international arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara.

Read More: Kurdistan Oil Association Urges Washington to Push Baghdad to Resume Oil Exports

On January 7-9, meetings were held in Baghdad between Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials as well as IOCs operating in the Kurdistan Region. 

APIKUR on March 23 also urged the Biden administration to push Baghdad to restore Kurdish oil exports.

However, as of now, Iraqi, KRG, and Turkish stakeholders have yet to reach an agreement to resume exports.

Read More: U.S. Officials, Iraqi Prime Minister to Discuss Erbil-Baghdad Relations

Nevertheless, an U.S. official told reporters on April 11 that discussions had progressed to try to reopen the pipeline and permit oil exports from the Kurdistan Region.

In a letter released on March 28, Republican members of the U.S. Congress urged the U.S. government to make the renewal of the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports a precondition for any visit by Prime Minister Sudani to the United States.

According to APIKUR, the lack of agreement to resume exports has cost Iraq more than $14.5 billion in lost export revenues.