Iraqi and Kurdish officials discuss new oil export mechanisms

Shafaq News / Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani presided over a meeting with a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the Iraqi capital on Sunday.

The Kurdish governmental delegation included Kamal Mohammed, acting Minister of Natural Resources, Omid Sabah, Chief of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers' Office, and Faris Issa, Head of the KRG Representation in Baghdad.

The meeting was attended by high-ranking officials from the federal government, including the Deputy Minister for Extraction Affairs, Deputy Minister for Distribution Affairs, Director General of the State Oil Marketing Company, Director General of the Economic and Legal Department, Director of the Government Information and Communication Office, and several other officials from relevant departments.

According to a statement, the meeting discussed new mechanisms and data for the region's oil exports, following the decision issued by the International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) Arbitration Tribunal in Paris on Thursday, March 23, 2023.

The decision pertained to an arbitration lawsuit filed by Iraq against Turkey, alleging violations of the 1973 Iraqi-Turkish pipeline agreement, which stipulates that "the Turkish government must comply with the instructions of the Iraqi side concerning the movement of crude oil exported from Iraq to all storage and discharge centers and the final station."

On Saturday, the KRG's Ministry of Natural Resources commented on the ICC Arbitration Tribunal's decision, which ruled in favor of Iraq's federal Oil Ministry in a lawsuit filed against Turkey regarding the export of Kurdistan Region's crude oil. The Ministry, in a statement, said, "The French court's ruling in favor of the Iraqi government against Turkey will not hinder our relations with the Baghdad government. In this context, we will visit Baghdad for dialogue and resolution of related issues."