Erbil and Baghdad say they’ve once again cracked the code on resuming Kurdistan’s long-stalled oil exports — at least on paper. The Kurdistan Region’s natural resources ministry announced Wednesday that 23 delegates, including 17 from Iraq’s oil ministry, have signed off on a new export protocol.
Under the deal, KRG will keep 50,000 barrels per day for domestic use, hand the rest to SOMO, and everyone will smile politely while pretending this time will be different. The hitch? Baghdad still needs to convince Turkey to open the taps on the Iraq–Turkey pipeline — the same sticking point that’s kept flows shut since March 2023 after a Paris arbitration ruling.
Baghdad insists it’s committed to taking 230,000 bpd from Kurdistan under a July agreement, and in return, it’s promised to pay those long-delayed public sector salaries in the Region. So far, the federal government has sent 975 billion dinars (about $737 million) to cover May wages. June and July remain in limbo thanks to the ever-mysterious “technical and financial disputes.”
The talks between Erbil and Baghdad have been grinding on since July, mirroring countless previous “breakthroughs” that dissolved into more waiting. Until Ankara says yes, this latest oil deal joins the growing pile of almost-deals gathering dust.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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