KRG pushes forward with Baghdad talks on oil exports under federal law

Shafaq News – Erbil

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday instructed its delegation to continue negotiations with Baghdad on resuming oil exports, stressing that revenue-sharing must remain within the framework of Iraq’s Federal Financial Management Law and the federal budget law.

In a statement after its weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the KRG said it had reviewed the latest rounds of dialogue with the federal government on both non-oil revenues and crude export mechanisms, confirming that the KRG Ministries of Oil and Natural Resources, together with the Iraqi North Oil Company and the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), have prepared a joint protocol for restarting exports. Additional steps, the statement said, are being taken to restore output to pre-attack levels following recent strikes on Kurdistan’s oil facilities.

Talks between Erbil and Baghdad have gained momentum in recent weeks. In July, Baghdad announced that the KRG had agreed to supply at least 230,000 barrels per day to SOMO, with a mechanism signed on August 11 to enable exports. Security concerns and technical hurdles, however, continue to delay the restart.

Exports through the Iraq-Turkiye Pipeline remain suspended following an International Chamber of Commerce ruling that blocked the KRG’s independent oil sales, a decision that has driven ongoing fiscal strains in the Kurdistan Region.