Iraq, KRG agree on oil exports via Turkey

BAGHDAD, December 2, 2014 – On Tuesday, Iraqi Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari announced that Iraq’s Council of Ministers had approved an agreement reached between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding the export of oil from the northern Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Kirkuk via Turkey.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi and his counterpart, Nechirvan Barzani, agreeing that Iraqi oil belongs to all Iraqis, will now see their decision result in the Kurdistan Region exporting 300,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) from Kirkuk via Kurdish infrastructure onwards to Turkey, in addition to 250,000 bopd from the northern Kurdistan Region.

As part of the deal, the Iraqi federal government will resume the payment of salaries to Kurdish officials, which were ceased earlier in 2014, along with exports from Kirkuk. In overcoming their dispute, both sides also agreed to allocate a share of the financial resources allotted to the federal land forces of the Iraqi Army to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

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