Peregraf
After a series of fruitless negotiations, the Iraqi Oil Ministry is set to hold a new round of talks this week with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (Apikur) to discuss a long-awaited agreement on resuming oil exports from the Kurdistan Region.
Sabah Subhi, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s Oil and Gas Committee, told KDP media that the meeting will be attended by Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani, along with KRG officials and representatives from Apikur.
The meeting comes just days after the Iraqi Ministry of Oil publicly denied Apikur’s recent claims that Baghdad is unwilling to engage in meaningful negotiations over oil contracts in the Kurdistan Region. In a statement issued on April 4, the ministry called for “urgent negotiations” to resolve the impasse.
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk to Turkey have been suspended since March 25, 2023, following a ruling by the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce’s arbitration court. The decision favored Iraq in its legal dispute with Turkey over unauthorized Kurdish oil exports, leading to the closure of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline at Ceyhan port.
According to Apikur, the suspension has cost the Kurdistan Region more than $28 billion in lost revenue over the past two years.
A previous high-level meeting on March 6, 2025, in Baghdad — involving the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources, the Iraqi Federal Oil Ministry, and international oil companies — failed to produce a breakthrough. The talks stalled over Baghdad’s refusal to cover an estimated $1 billion in outstanding debts owed to oil companies and concerns over future payment guarantees.
Despite earlier optimism from Oil Minister Abdul Ghani, who had suggested an agreement was within reach and that oil exports could resume at 185,000 barrels per day, negotiations remain deadlocked.
The prolonged halt in oil exports continues to strain the Kurdistan Region’s economy and affects Iraq’s broader financial stability. All parties are under growing pressure to reach a sustainable agreement that upholds contract obligations and restores vital revenue streams.