ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - There are no plans to export Kirkuk's oil together with that of the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, an official told Rudaw on Friday, dismissing reports that suggested otherwise.
"As of now, we have no plans to export Kirkuk's oil together with the Kurdistan Region's to Ceyhan Port," said Amir Khalil, manager of the North Oil Company.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Iraq would export Kirkuk's oil to international markets through the pipeline.
Kurdistan Region’s oil exports resumed earlier this month after Baghdad, Erbil and international oil producers reached a three-month agreement. The exports were halted in March 2023 after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled that Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to independently export oil beginning in 2014.
Khalil said that at least 200,000 barrels of Kurdish oil are exported every day.
"On a daily basis 200,000 to 250,000 barrels of oil are exported. Sometimes the number reaches 270,000," he said.
Since the exports resumed, nearly five million barrels of oil have been sold, some of which was bought by Turkey and the rest ended up in European markets, he added.
"The exports have been proceeding without a problem," he said.
In early October, Iraq’s ambassador to Ankara Majid al-Lachmawi said resumption of Kurdish oil exports could contribute to lessening fuel shortages in Turkey.