UNAMI welcomes Erbil-Baghdad oil export resumption deal

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations’ Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Wednesday welcomed the agreement between Erbil and Baghdad to resume the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports, saying the deal paves the way for drafting an oil and gas law.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Tuesday signed an agreement to resume the Region’s oil exports to Turkey more than ten days after it was halted following a ruling by a Paris-based arbitration court.

The agreement “strengthens national unity and boosts Iraq's economic prospects to serve all Iraqis,” said UNAMI.

 

The deal was also welcomed by top Kurdish and Iraqi leaders including Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, and head of the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance Khamis al-Khanjar.

KDP’s Barzani held a phone call with PM Sudani on Tuesday, expressing his gratitude for the Iraqi premier’s efforts to achieve the “historic” agreement, and hoping that the deal becomes a gateway towards resolving all outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad.

Khanjar extended his congratulations to Erbil and Baghdad, and thanked them for the efforts made to realize the deal.

“The dialogue of the brave is the only one that can create the impossible, and credibility in implementing political agreement with such seriousness is a characteristic of brother Sudani’s government,” read the statement from Khanjar.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration court ruled on March 23 that Turkey had breached a 1973 pipeline agreement that obliges the Turkish government to abide by instructions issued by Iraq regarding the transport of crude oil exported from Iraq. Turkey informed Iraqi authorities that it would not allow the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) oil to be loaded onto ships at Ceyhan port without permission from Baghdad.