Oil association urges renewed efforts to resume Kurdish exports
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Oil producers in the Kurdistan Region on Sunday called for increased efforts to resume the long-halted Kurdish oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline (ITP).
In a statement, the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) said that their latest meeting with the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government last week 'did not result in any agreements.'
'The GoI [Government of Iraq] continues to publicly express the importance of oil exports through the ITP but engagements thus far have been limited and unproductive. APIKUR calls for redoubling of efforts to find mutually beneficial solutions,' the statement said.
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline have been suspended since March 2023 after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin exporting oil independently in 2014.
Despite ongoing talks between Erbil, Baghdad, Ankara, and oil producers - with added pressure from the United States - the exports remain stalled, with their suspension costing Iraq billions of dollars in revenue.
'APIKUR member companies have repeatedly proposed solutions that satisfy, both, Iraq's Budget Law and comply with international oil company contracts which have been validated in Iraq's courts,' said APIKUR spokesperson Myles Caggins. 'We regret the lack of progress, nevertheless we will continue to push for a resumption [of] oil exports.'
The oil association also lamented that 'no substantial discussions' have taken place with Baghdad and Erbil on their proposals for payment mechanisms, stressing that multiple recommendations have gone unaccepted.
'APIKUR member companies remain ready to immediately resume exports through ITP once binding agreements are in place that ensure payment certainty for such exports in like with each IOC's existing contractual terms,' the statement added.
In early April, APIKUR said that their investments have been 'fundamentally harmed' by the closure of the pipeline and that they are in a 'hurry' to resume the oil exports, for which they have been 'at forefront to push negotiations with Baghdad.'
In early February, the Iraqi parliament approved amendments to the federal budget law, authorizing a $16-per-barrel fee for production and transport costs in the Kurdistan Region - a move seen as a crucial step toward restarting exports.
The amendments also require both the federal government and the KRG to establish an international technical consultancy within 60 days to assess production and transportation costs for oil fields in the Kurdistan Region. If an agreement cannot be reached, the federal council of ministers will appoint the consultancy.
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