ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers is set to convene on Wednesday and discuss the findings of the meetings with the Iraqi oil ministry delegation in recent days about resuming the Region’s oil exports.
An Iraqi federal government delegation headed by Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul-Ghani arrived in Erbil on Sunday to hold talks with Kurdish officials about restarting the full production and export of the Kurdistan Region’s oil nearly eight months after it was put on hold.
Abdul-Ghani met with both Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani separately, with both sides stressing the need to resume the process “as soon as possible.”
One of the items on the agenda of Wednesday’s meeting of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Barzani and attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, will be the presentation of the points discussed during the talks with the Iraqi delegation on the oil issue.
In a meeting with French Ambassador to Iraq Eric Chevalier, President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday described the Iraqi delegation’s visit as “constructive and positive” and reiterated Erbil’s commitment to resolving outstanding issues with Baghdad “in accordance with the Constitution.”
Exports of the Kurdistan Region’s oil through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline have been halted since March 23 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying Turkey had breached a 1973 agreement by allowing Erbil to begin independent oil exports in 2014.
Erbil and Baghdad have held multiple rounds of talks about restarting the exports. Kurdistan Region President Barzani last week said the problem now is technical rather than political.
Areas where they still need to reach an agreement include existing contracts between the KRG and oil companies, according to President Barzani.
Abdul-Ghani told Rudaw on Monday that the KRG’s Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) with International Oil Companies (IOCs) are not in line with the Iraqi constitution but added that they are working on adjusting them. He also announced that they have agreed to hold a trilateral meeting between the Iraqi oil ministry, the KRG’s natural resources ministry, and representatives of the IOCs to “find a solution that satisfies all sides.”
Representatives of the Iraqi government and the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) on Wednesday held their first meeting in Dubai, stressing the need to resume full oil production and exports “under mutually acceptable commercial terms,” the oil producers association stated.
An Iraqi federal government delegation headed by Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul-Ghani arrived in Erbil on Sunday to hold talks with Kurdish officials about restarting the full production and export of the Kurdistan Region’s oil nearly eight months after it was put on hold.
Abdul-Ghani met with both Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani separately, with both sides stressing the need to resume the process “as soon as possible.”
One of the items on the agenda of Wednesday’s meeting of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Barzani and attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, will be the presentation of the points discussed during the talks with the Iraqi delegation on the oil issue.
In a meeting with French Ambassador to Iraq Eric Chevalier, President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday described the Iraqi delegation’s visit as “constructive and positive” and reiterated Erbil’s commitment to resolving outstanding issues with Baghdad “in accordance with the Constitution.”
Exports of the Kurdistan Region’s oil through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline have been halted since March 23 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying Turkey had breached a 1973 agreement by allowing Erbil to begin independent oil exports in 2014.
Erbil and Baghdad have held multiple rounds of talks about restarting the exports. Kurdistan Region President Barzani last week said the problem now is technical rather than political.
Areas where they still need to reach an agreement include existing contracts between the KRG and oil companies, according to President Barzani.
Abdul-Ghani told Rudaw on Monday that the KRG’s Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) with International Oil Companies (IOCs) are not in line with the Iraqi constitution but added that they are working on adjusting them. He also announced that they have agreed to hold a trilateral meeting between the Iraqi oil ministry, the KRG’s natural resources ministry, and representatives of the IOCs to “find a solution that satisfies all sides.”
Representatives of the Iraqi government and the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) on Wednesday held their first meeting in Dubai, stressing the need to resume full oil production and exports “under mutually acceptable commercial terms,” the oil producers association stated.
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