Iraq Seeks US Court to Enforce Arbitration Ruling Against Turkey Over Oil Exports

Iraq Seeks US Court to Enforce Arbitration Ruling Against Turkey Over Oil Exports
2023-04-11T20:10:32+00:00

Shafaq News / Iraq has filed a request with a US federal court to enforce an arbitration ruling against Turkey regarding the export of Iraqi oil through a pipeline to a Turkish port, according to documents filed with the court.

The arbitration ruling, issued by the International Chamber of Commerce last month, awarded compensation to Iraq in a case where Baghdad accused Turkey of allowing the Kurdistan Regional Government to export oil without Baghdad's permission between 2014 and 2018.

The petition, submitted to the US District Court for the District of Columbia, asks the court to "recognize, confirm, and enforce the final award" issued by the arbitration panel. Turkey was forced to halt the flow of oil, which accounted for around 0.5% of global supplies, through the pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan as a result of the arbitration ruling. Baghdad regards the Kurdistan Regional Government's exports via Ceyhan as illegal.

Last week, the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government signed a temporary agreement allowing for the resumption of northern oil exports through Turkey, but shipments have yet to begin, according to shipping companies. Earlier reports suggest that Turkey wants to settle another case covering the period from 2018 onwards before reopening the pipeline.

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