Sources revealed to "Reuters" today, Tuesday, that the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government have signed a final agreement to resume oil exports from northern Iraq. The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan region, Masrour Barzani, traveled to Baghdad to finalize the agreement with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani to resume oil exports from the autonomous region in northern Iraq, and to conduct talks to resolve a dispute that has lasted for nearly twenty years regarding oil and gas.
A government official in Baghdad stated that an official request has been sent to Turkey to resume oil exports through the pipeline between Iraq and Turkey, with the resumption of pumping expected "in the coming hours." Baghdad's complaint indicated that Turkey had violated a mutual agreement by allowing the Kurdistan Regional Government to export oil to the Ceyhan port without its consent. Two Iraqi government officials, who requested anonymity, indicated that under the agreement, the state-owned Iraqi Oil Marketing Company "SOMO" will be responsible for marketing and exporting oil from the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the revenues will be deposited in an account at the Central Bank of Iraq.
