Shafaq News – Kirkuk

Baghdad and Ankara have agreed to restart oil exports from the Kurdistan Region after a two-year freeze, Deputy Parliament Speaker Shakhwan Abdullah confirmed Sunday.

Speaking to reporters, Abdullah stated that Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) reached a deal with Turkish companies to resume flows, while the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) finalized a parallel revenue-sharing agreement with Baghdad covering oil and non-oil income.

He urged the Iraqi government to fulfill its “legal and moral obligations,” including the immediate release of overdue Kurdish public sector salaries for July and August.

Read more: Kurdistan’s salaries: A lingering injustice beyond numbers

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) lawmaker Mahma Khalil told Shafaq News last week that a Kurdish delegation is preparing to visit Baghdad to complete technical arrangements for exports via the Ceyhan pipeline.

KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has consistently maintained that Erbil does not oppose restarting exports. While SOMO Director Ali Nizar noted the final decision lies with producing companies, he confirmed SOMO’s readiness to market Kurdish oil once negotiations conclude.

Read more: SOMO: Kurdistan oil exports await producers green light

The prolonged shutdown has deepened the KRG’s financial crisis. Since May 2025, Baghdad has suspended salary transfers, leaving thousands of public workers unpaid. The KRG Finance Ministry recently submitted the August payroll to Baghdad for funding. In late August, the federal cabinet approved June salaries on the condition that Erbil transfers 120 billion dinars (about $92M) in non-oil revenues. Economists estimate the export halt has cost Iraq roughly $11.16M per day.

Read more: Kurdistan’s $110B gamble: A new front in the Baghdad-Erbil oil war