ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday, discussing regional developments and the resumption of the Region’s oil exports to Turkey. “The meeting discussed the latest developments in Iraq, the region, and Syria,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Barzani arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for talks with senior Turkish officials on strengthening bilateral relations and regional developments, according to the KRG. Earlier in the day, Barzani met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the two officials “discussed the development of relations between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey and the latest developments in the general situation in Iraq and the region,” a KRG statement said. Barzani’s meeting with Erdogan also discussed “the importance of resolving the issues between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government on the basis of the constitution and removing obstacles to the export of oil from the Kurdistan Region.” The Kurdish premier’s visit came with the Kurdistan Region’s economy crippled by halted oil exports – its main source of income. Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline have been halted since March 23, 2023, when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin independent oil exports in 2014. Around 400,000 barrels a day were being exported by Erbil through Ankara, in addition to some 75,000 barrels of Kirkuk oil daily through the same pipeline. In November, the Iraqi government approved a proposal to amend articles from the federal budget to authorize compensation to companies operating in the Kurdistan Region for oil production and transportation costs, setting the rate at $16 per barrel. The proposal - yet to be finalized by parliament - aims to resume oil exports from the Region. Turkey and the Kurdistan Region enjoy strong economic relations, and Erbil heavily relies on Turkish and Iranian imports for domestic consumption. Its economy is also heavily dependent on Turkish trade and investment. Trade volume between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey is over five billion dollars every year. In April of last year, Barzani and Erdogan met in Erbil, discussing ways to advance economic and trade relations, and Barzani reiterated his support for Turkish companies investing in the Kurdistan Region.
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