Iraq and Turkey: Kurdish Oil Export Dispute Resolved

Iraq has halted crude oil exports (450,000 barrels per day) from the Kurdistan region as of Saturday, following a lengthy arbitration case against Turkey. A senior Iraqi oil official stated, "The International Commercial Arbitration Court officially notified Iraq of its final decision on Thursday, and the ruling was in favor of Iraq." A source reported that Turkey has informed Iraq of its respect for the ruling issued in the arbitration case. A separate document revealed that Turkey subsequently ceased pumping Iraqi crude through the pipeline leading to Ceyhan. Turkish shipping officials informed their Iraqi counterparts at the Ceyhan oil export center: "No vessel will be allowed to load Kurdish crude shipments without the approval of the Iraqi government." Another official from the Ministry of Oil stated, "A delegation from the Ministry of Oil will soon go to Turkey to meet with Turkish energy officials to agree on new mechanisms for exporting Iraqi crude oil in accordance with the arbitration decision."