Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with Turkey’s Ambassador to Iraq, Anil Bora Inan, to discuss expanding bilateral trade and ensuring the uninterrupted continuation of both Iraqi and Kurdistan Region oil exports through Turkey’s Ceyhan port. 

According to a Kurdistan Regional Government statement released Thursday, Prime Minister Barzani and Turkish Ambassador Inan reaffirmed their mutual commitment to deepening economic cooperation and expanding trade ties between Erbil and Ankara.

The officials noted that the Prime Minister’s May 9 diplomatic meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul were critical to expanding bilateral cooperation.

They also exchanged views on Iraqi stability and supporting the federal government to address ongoing disputes.

Erbil-Baghdad oil pact and Iraq's push for 770,000 BPD export capacity 

Both sides also addressed developing Iraq’s energy sector and ensuring the continuity of oil exports through Turkey’s Ceyhan port.

Erbil and Baghdad finalized a comprehensive agreement in March to resume the export of northern crude oil through the Kurdistan Region's pipeline to Turkey's Ceyhan port.

This push aligns with the federal cabinet's active mandate to scale up northern pipeline capacity to 770,000 barrels per day, heavily supported by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's recent directives ordering international oil firms in the Kurdistan Region to resume operations.

“They emphasized the need to increase oil production, boost public revenues, and improve Iraq’s financial situation,” the statement noted.