ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), accompanied by representatives of oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region, arrived in Baghdad to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Baghdad on Wednesday to discuss the full restoration of oil production and security guarantees for energy firms, sources told Rudaw.
Myles Caggins, spokesperson for the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR), an umbrella group representing oil producers operating in the Kurdistan Region, confirmed the meeting to Rudaw on Wednesday but declined to comment on its agenda.
“We will not comment on the content [of the meeting] and are waiting for the Iraqi prime minister’s remarks after the meeting,” Caggins said.
A senior Iraqi government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Rudaw the talks would focus on restoring oil production to full capacity and ensuring the security of companies operating in the Kurdistan Region.
An informed source in the Kurdistan Region said the KRG delegation, accompanied by representatives from ten to 11 oil companies, was scheduled to meet Zaidi Wednesday afternoon. The delegation is also expected to hold meetings with officials from Iraq’s oil ministry.
According to the source, one of the oil companies’ main demands is receiving guarantees that their personnel and facilities will be protected and that their operations will not be targeted as they were in previous attacks.
Many oil fields in the Kurdistan Region were targeted by Iran and Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq during the latest US-Iran war, which began in late February and was paused in early April following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire. As a result, production at several fields declined significantly, with much of the remaining output diverted to local consumption.
The discussions are also expected to address an agreement between the oil companies, the KRG, and the federal government that is due to expire at the end of June. Financial entitlements and the future framework governing the companies’ operations are among the issues expected to be discussed.
The meeting comes a day after Iraq’s Council of Ministers approved a plan proposed by the oil ministry to increase export capacity. Under the plan, oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline are expected to rise in two phases over the next two and a half months, from 220,000 barrels per day to 770,000.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this article.
Updated at 12:02 pm
