Crude oil exports from northern Iraq to Türkiye resumed on Saturday for the first time in two-and-a-half years, following an interim agreement between Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and international oil companies.

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed the resumption in a statement on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, noting that the Iraq–Türkiye pipeline had been idle since the February 6, 2023 earthquakes. He added that Türkiye’s state pipeline operator BOTAŞ restored the pipeline to operational readiness as early as October 2023.

Iraq’s state news agency INA also announced the restart of exports, which began at the Fishkhabur oil field on Saturday. According to Erbil-based Rudaw TV, the relaunch was attended by representatives from the KRG, the Iraqi federal government, and oil companies.

The breakthrough comes after months of negotiations. On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani declared that Baghdad had reached a “historic agreement” with the KRG to regulate oil flows.

“Today we reached a historic agreement under which the Federal Ministry of Oil will receive crude oil produced from the fields in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and export it through the Iraq–Türkiye pipeline,” al-Sudani announced via X, the U.S.-based social media platform.

The KRG earlier confirmed that it had signed agreements with both local and foreign oil companies to prepare for exports, pending final approval from Iraq’s Oil Ministry.

The deal marks a significant step toward resolving long-standing disputes between Baghdad and Erbil over control and revenue-sharing of oil exports. Analysts say the restart of flows through the 1,000-kilometer pipeline could ease market strains and bring in much-needed revenues for both Iraq and the KRG. (ILKHA)