ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz on Friday stressed the need for the resumption of Kurdish oil exports “as soon as possible.”

The Kurdistan Region’s oil exports have been halted since March 2023, dealing a major blow to Iraq and the Region’s economy. Although the governments in Erbil and Baghdad have repeatedly announced agreements to resume the exports, there is still no oil flowing through the Turkish Ceyhan pipeline.

In a phone call on Friday, Barzani and Waltz discussed regional developments, bilateral ties, the formation of the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet, and the need to resume Kurdish oil exports.

“They agreed on the need for a new KRG cabinet to be formed as soon as possible and both sides reaffirmed the need to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region as soon as possible,” read a statement from the Kurdish premier’s office.

Earlier this month, Waltz urged Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to work with the KRG “to address remaining contract disputes and pay arrears owed to US energy companies.”

The exports were halted after Ankara lost a case against Baghdad in a Paris-based arbitration court. The case accused Ankara of breaching a 1973 agreement by allowing Erbil to start selling oil independent of Baghdad.

Baghdad and Erbil announced late February that they reached an agreement to resume the Region’s oil exports to the international market, but the process has yet to restart with international oil producers demanding payment surety, transparent implementation of Iraq’s budget law stipulations, and resolution of payments that are in arrears before resuming the work.

Haibat al-Halbousi, head of the Iraqi parliament’s oil and gas committee, on Wednesday said that the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports could resume next week.

The halt in exports has dealt a major blow to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region's economy, with over $27 billion in lost revenue to date.