ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani had a phone call with United States National Security Advisor Michael Waltz on Friday to discuss resuming Kurdish oil exports and speeding up formation of the regional government, five months after the vote.
The two “reaffirmed the need to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region as soon as possible” and “agreed on the need for a new KRG cabinet to be formed as soon as possible,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline have been halted since March 2023 after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad. The court determined that Turkey had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by permitting Erbil to export oil independently starting in 2014.
Negotiations between Iraqi and Kurdish officials, as well as with international oil companies, have made significant progress but are yet to reach a definitive resolution. The oil producers are seeking guarantees of payment and contractual security, while Baghdad insists on federal oversight. Erbil, meanwhile, aims for a solution that protects its economic interests.
The US is pressuring Baghdad to resume exports quickly, reaching an agreement with oil producers that honors existing contracts with American companies.
The chairman of the Iraqi parliament’s oil and gas committee Haybat al-Halbousi on Wednesday told media outlets, including Rudaw, that the exports through Turkey could resume next week.
As for the formation of the new government, senior Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) member Qubad Talabani said on Tuesday that his party and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have reached an agreement on the final draft of an accord to form the cabinet.
“The high-level negotiating delegations of the KDP and PUK have agreed on a final draft outlining their joint vision for the next phase,” Talabani’s office stated, adding that the document “will be instrumental in forming the government and other institutions to better serve citizens.”
The Kurdistan Region held delayed parliamentary elections in October. The KDP came out on top, securing 39 spots in the 100-member legislature. The PUK came in second with 23 seats.
Since no single party won a majority, a governing coalition will need to be formed, as has traditionally been the case. Government formation talks have progressed slowly.
Prime Minister Barzani and Waltz also discussed “ways to advance the relationship between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq with the United States,” and touched on “the rapid developments in the Middle East and the importance of maintaining stability in the region.”
In the past two years, the Middle East has seen a surge in conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas war, sparked by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel that triggered a devastating Israeli military response in the Gaza Strip. The situation was further complicated by tensions on Israel’s northern border, where conflict erupted between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
In neighboring Syria, after a swift offensive in December, a coalition of opposition groups overthrew the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. The country’s transition is facing significant challenges, including the need for inclusive governance, the integration of armed groups into a unified national military, and economic reconstruction.
Simultaneously, efforts to resume nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran are ongoing, alongside efforts to resolve the four-decade-old conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has claimed the lives of some 40,000 people.
Amid the evolving developments, the Kurdistan Region has sought to position itself as a catalyst for peace and stability.
