Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani held a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in Baghdad on Saturday, in which both agreed on the necessity of expediting the resumption of Kurdish oil exports.

The Kurdistan Region President is in Baghdad to attend the Seventh Baghdad International Dialogue Conference.

According to a readout from the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister on X, Prime Minister al-Sudani underscored the necessity of expediting the resumption of oil production by oil companies in the Kurdistan Region and resuming its export through Turkiye’s Ceyhan port.

Furthermore, a readout from the Kurdistan Region Presidency also added that both leaders agreed on the “necessity to expedite the resumption of oil production by companies in the Kurdistan Region and to facilitate the export of oil through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, which will benefit all of Iraq.”

On March 25, 2023, Kurdish crude oil exports through Turkiye were stopped after an international arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, halting 450,000 barrels per day of crude oil exports to international markets.

On February 2, the Iraqi parliament voted for an amendment to the Iraqi federal budget law stipulating the cost of extracting and transporting the Kurdistan Region’s oil, paving the legal way to resume the Kurdish oil exports. On February 17, the Official Gazette of Iraq published the amendment to Iraq’s general budget law. However, oil exports have not yet resumed.

At the meeting, Prime Minister al-Sudani also underscored “the importance of proceeding with the implementation of joint agreements, particularly in light of the recent amendment to the federal budget law passed by the Council of Representatives.”

The Kurdistan Region President also reaffirmed the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to resolving outstanding issues with Baghdad and fostering ongoing relationships.