SOMO: Kurdistan oil exports await producers green light
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Resuming crude exports from the Kurdistan Region depends on the producing companies, head of Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), Ali Nizar, said on Saturday, despite agreements between Baghdad and Erbil on revenue sharing and export mechanisms.
“The agreement between the federal Oil Ministry, SOMO, and the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Natural Resources has set firm mechanisms to implement the budget law,” Nizar told Shafaq News. “We are optimistic about the deal and hope to restart pumping oil from Kurdistan through the Ceyhan pipeline, as it serves Iraq’s interests and strengthens revenues.”
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein also said progress had been made in discussions between Baghdad and Erbil over non-oil revenues and expressed confidence a broader understanding would be reached “within days.”
On the oil dispute, Hussein noted the issue was not solely between the federal government and oil firms, nor between Erbil and the companies, but “a three-way problem” that he expects will be resolved soon.
The stalemate over oil exports has fueled a broader fiscal crisis between Baghdad and Erbil, including delays in public sector salaries. The dispute dates back years but escalated in May 2025 when the federal government halted salary transfers to the Kurdistan Region amid disagreements over oil export and revenue-sharing mechanisms.
