Iraq’s Oil Ministry called on Friday for an urgent meeting with relevant parties to resume negotiations on the export of Kurdistan regional oil, the state news agency reported.

Iraq’s oil ministry also said it took serious measures to show goodwill in negotiations to ensure the resumption of exports, adding that unrealistic demands that fall outside legal frameworks hinder reaching a final agreement.

The ministry said it is working to ensure proper implementation of the amendment to the budget law approved on February 2, so that exports via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline can resume as soon as possible.

It added that reaching an agreement on Kurdistan oil exports is crucial to halting illegal and improper crude sales.

Washington has been pressuring Iraq to resume shipments, with Reuters reporting in February that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration had asked Iraq to allow the flows to restart or face sanctions.

APIKUR, a grouping of eight oil firms operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, said in a statement shared with Reuters it would not resume exports until Baghdad gave a firm commitment to honour existing contracts and provide surety of payment for past and future exports.
Source: Reuters