President Barzani: Kurdish oil resumption a positive step for Iraq

Shafaq News – Erbil

On Tuesday, Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani discussed with Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Anil Bora Inan oil exports, water management, and Iraq’s upcoming elections.

According to a statement from the presidency, both sides stressed the importance of strengthening trade and energy ties, describing the recent resumption of Kurdish oil exports through Turkiye as “a positive step for Iraq’s economy,” after more than two years of suspension that cost billions of US dollars in lost revenue.

Talks also covered Iraq’s deepening water crisis and the need for a lasting framework to manage the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, where Turkish dam projects have drastically cut water flows into Iraq and Syria, intensifying droughts and depleting reservoirs across the country.

Read more: Where Mesopotamia once flowed: The dying rivers of southern Iraq

Barzani also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 9, with discussions focusing on "the close and strategic ties" between Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and Turkiye.