![A general view shows Iraq's largest oil refinery in the northern town of Baiji 05 August 2003. [STAN HONDA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-1247154496-e1725966217450.jpg?fit=1182%2C787&ssl=1)
Iraq’s Oil Ministry today called for an urgent meeting with relevant parties to resume negotiations on the export of Kurdistan regional oil, the state news agency reported according to Reuters.
The 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 2 February, so that exports via the Iraq-Turkiye 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 reporting in February that US 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.
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