The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Masrour Barzani, arrived in Turkey on Tuesday to hold discussions with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on topics including the halt of oil exports. The Turkish presidency stated that “Erdoğan met with Barzani at the presidential palace in Ankara,” sharing a photo of the two leaders shaking hands.
A senior Kurdish official close to the office of the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq remarked that “various issues including regional security should be discussed. However, the priority will be on oil exports.”
Turkey halted exports of 450,000 barrels per day from northern Iraq via the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline on March 25, following a ruling from the International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal.
Another Kurdish official based in Baghdad mentioned that “Barzani's visit aims to find ways to expedite the resumption of those exports, which are a vital source of revenue for the Kurdistan Region.”
Turkey wishes to negotiate the amount of compensation mandated by the arbitration ruling and also seeks clarification on other open arbitration issues.
