ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Region on Wednesday said that they have completed all of the necessary measures on their part toward resuming the Region's oil exports as soon as possible. 

During a meeting of the Kurdistan Region's Council of Ministers on Wednesday, Acting Minister of Oil Kamal Mohammed revealed that they have "completed all of their commitments towards resuming the Kurdistan Region's oil exports and depositing its revenue in the [Iraqi] federal treasury," according to a statement by the Council.

"There are no hindrances and obstacles in this regard from the Kurdistan Region," Mohammed added. 

The Council stressed that they remain adamant in "supporting negotiations between the [Kurdistan Region's] Ministry of Natural Resources, the [Iraqi] Ministry of Oil, oil companies and the [state-owned] SOMO company"

KRG spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani revealed to The New Region earlier on Wednesday that "Prime Minister Masrour Barzani instructed the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) team to cooperate in every way to resume Kurdistan’s oil exports.”

"'As in the past we were not the reason for the suspension of oil exports, we will not be a factor in the future to halt the resumption of the oil exports and we will provide all the facilities towards that end'," Hawramani cited the premier as saying.

Exports of the Kurdistan Region’s oil through the Turkish Ceyhan pipeline, where part of Kirkuk’s oil was also exported, were halted in March 2023 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 independently of Baghdad.

Baghdad and Erbil announced in late February that they reached an agreement to resume the Kurdistan 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.

The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) on Sunday called for a “redoubling of efforts” between Erbil and Baghdad to reach the agreements required for the resumption of the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports.

In a statement in late March, APIKUR said that the IOCs, along with the KRG, have been negotiating “in good faith” with the Iraqi government to enable the resumption of the Region’s oil exports but noted that the actions of the federal oil ministry have hindered the process.

The halt in exports has dealt a major blow to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region's economy, with just under $30 billion in lost revenue to date.