ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Britain and France on Friday welcomed an agreement between Baghdad, Erbil, and international oil companies to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region, ending a long deadlock.
"We welcome the historic agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Federal Government of Iraq to reopen the Iraq-Turkiye pipeline," reads a statement from the British embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil.
The deal marks "an important step forward for stronger investment, and greater prosperity for all the people of Iraq,” the statement added. "We commend both Baghdad and Erbil for their commitment to dialogue in reaching this milestone."
France's Ambassador to Iraq Patrick Durel said the agreement is “in the interest of all parties.”
Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Qubad Talabani took to Facebook to describe the oil deal as a "great achievement" for the people of Kurdistan and Iraq.
The deal "opens the door for a grassroots solution to the entirety of our disputes and rivalries based on the constitution, through dialogue, and ongoing talks,” he wrote.
He said their next target is to "ramp up efforts to secure the entire financial entitlements and rights of the people of Kurdistan."
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline have been suspended since March 2023, following a ruling by a Paris-based arbitration court in favor of Baghdad. The court found that Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to independently export oil since 2014.
The deal, reached after months of talks, was announced this week.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday welcomed the oil agreement and said it was facilitated by Washington.
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