Senior Kurdish officials on Friday welcomed Turkiye’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nuh Yilmaz in Erbil today and discussed the importance of resuming oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the port of Ceyhan and the peace process in Turkiye.
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.
Read More: KRG, U.S. Emphasize Urgency of Cabinet Formation, Oil Exports
So far, talks between Erbil, Baghdad, and Ankara have not resulted in a resumption of exports.
Today, PM @masrourbarzani and Türkiye DFM @nuhyilmaz discussed resuming Kurdistan Region oil exports, the Development Road project and enhancing bilateral relations across sectors.https://t.co/K9QL39dBGD
— Kurdistan Regional Government (@Kurdistan) April 18, 2025
According to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) readout, during his meeting with Deputy Minister Yilmaz, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani discussed the importance of implementing the Development Road project and connecting Gulf countries, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region to Turkiye and Europe via railway.
Read More: No Agreement Reached Regarding Development Road: KRG
The Development Road project is a 1,200-kilometer strategic railway and highway project that will connect Turkiye and Iraq to their neighbors and the rest of the world through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines. Kurdish officials have underlined that any attempt to bypass or exclude the Kurdistan Region from this project will fail.
Moreover, in another part of the meeting, they exchanged views on the peace process in Turkiye, with Prime Minister Barzani reaffirming his support for the success of the process.
Read More: Kurdistan Region Working Toward Peace, Stability
On February 27, the imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan made a call for the PKK to disarm as part of a new peace process. KRG officials have repeatedly expressed support for any moves toward peace in Turkiye.
Furthermore, Deputy Minister Yilmaz also met with President Masoud Barzani to discuss the domestic situation in the Kurdistan Region and Erbil-Baghdad relations, according to the Barzani headquarters readout.
Bakan Yardımcımız Nuh Yılmaz, Irak’a gerçekleştirdiği ziyaret kapsamında, IKBY Başbakanı Mesrur Barzani ile Erbil’de biraraya geldi.
— T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı (@TC_Disisleri) April 18, 2025
Görüşmede, IKBY ile ilişkilerimiz ele alınarak, işbirliğimizi her alanda daha da ilerletme yönündeki müşterek irade teyit edildi. pic.twitter.com/3hnpxj7m1w
During the meeting, discussions were held regarding the internal situation of the Kurdistan Region and the steps toward forming the new cabinet of the KRG. The relationship between the region and Baghdad was also addressed.
In addition, views were exchanged on the political situation in the region as a whole, along with the possibilities and prospects for the future.
The relations between the Kurdistan Region and Turkiye, the development of bilateral friendship, and the peace process in Turkiye were also key topics of the meeting.
Deputy Minister Yilmaz also met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and discussed the Development Road project, the peace process, bilateral cooperation, and the situation in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.
According to the Kurdistan Region Presidency readout, President Nechirvan Barzani reaffirmed the Kurdistan Region’s support for the continuation of the process. Both sides agreed that peace would have a positive and lasting impact on the entire region and would open broader horizons for shared development and cooperation.
