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Western Companies Accuse Baghdad, Erbil of Blocking Kurdistan Oil Exports

An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media
An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media
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Western Companies Accuse Baghdad, Erbil of Blocking Kurdistan Oil Exports

An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media
An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media

Despite the renewed optimism over the past two weeks regarding the potential resumption of Kurdish oil exports to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, a new setback revealed by oil companies operating in the region has pushed negotiations back to square one.

APIKUR, a grouping of eight oil firms operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, criticized both the federal government in Baghdad and the regional government in Erbil for failing to present any “proposal” to restart oil exports.

This has raised further doubts about the prospects of resuming exports, which have been halted since March 2023.

Despite criticism directed at both Baghdad and Erbil, a Kurdish affairs researcher insists that “influential factions in Baghdad” are obstructing the resumption of oil exports.

The coalition of eight Western oil companies that make up APIKUR had entered investment contracts with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

These companies now face legal challenges with Baghdad, particularly following a 2022 Federal Court ruling declaring the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law unconstitutional, which led to a significant crisis with the consortium of companies operating in the region.

The Federal Ministry of Oil had previously accused APIKUR of “interfering in both internal and external Iraqi affairs” through its statements.

In a statement on Saturday, APIKUR said that despite the halt in oil exports since 2023 through the pipeline between Iraq and Türkiye, neither the group nor its members have seen any proposal from either the Iraqi government or the Kurdistan Regional Government that would lead to the resumption of exports.

APIKUR spokesperson Myles Caggins emphasized that the association continues to focus on collaborating with all stakeholders to fully restore oil production and exports through the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline.

The statement also pointed out that the Iraqi government has not taken the necessary actions to reopen the pipeline and enable oil exports from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, despite Türkiye announcing in October 2023 that the pipeline was ready for operation and oil export.

APIKUR had previously welcomed the Iraqi Cabinet’s proposal to amend Article 12 of the Federal Budget Law regarding oil production costs in the region, seeing the amendment as “an opportunity to meet its demands.”

However, the association now sharply criticizes both Baghdad and Erbil, stating that previous positive meetings with representatives from both governments have not resulted in any real progress toward reopening the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline.

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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam led a high-level ministerial delegation to Syria on Monday for talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the most significant diplomatic visit between the two countries since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.

"My visit to Damascus today aims to open a new page in the history of relations between the two countries, based on mutual respect, restoring trust, good neighborliness," Salam said in a statement on X.

At the center of discussions was implementing a March 28 agreement signed in Saudi Arabia by the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministers to demarcate land and sea borders and improve coordination on border security issues, Salam said in the statement.

The Lebanese-Syrian border witnessed deadly clashes earlier this year and years of unrest in the frontier regions, which have been plagued by weapons and illicit drug smuggling through illegal crossings.

During Monday’s meeting, Salam and Sharaa agreed to form a joint ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the border agreement, close illegal crossings and suppress smuggling activity along the border.

The border area, especially near Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Syria’s Qusayr region, has long been a corridor for illicit trade, arms trafficking, and the movement of fighters — including Hezbollah fighters who backed the Assad government during Syria’s 14-year civil war.

Hezbollah has been significantly weakened in its recent war with Israel and since Assad's ousting, it lost several key smuggling routes it once relied on for weapons transfers.

Lebanon also pressed Syria to provide clarity on the fate of thousands of Lebanese nationals who were forcibly disappeared or imprisoned in Syrian jails in the 1980s and 1990s, during Syria’s nearly 30-year military presence in Lebanon. Human rights groups have long documented the lack of accountability and transparency regarding these cases, with families of the missing holding regular demonstrations in Beirut demanding answers.

Syrian officials for their part raised the issue of Syrian nationals detained in Lebanese prisons, Salam said. Many of the detainees were arrested for illegal entry or alleged involvement in militant activity. Rights advocates in both countries have criticized the lack of due process in many of these cases and the poor conditions inside detention facilities.

Lebanon pledged to hand over people implicated in crimes committed by the Assad government and security forces, many of whom are believed to have fled to Lebanon after the government’s collapse, if found on Lebanese soil, a ministerial source told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly comment.

In return, Lebanese officials requested the extradition of Syrians wanted in Lebanese courts for high-profile political assassinations, "most notably those involved in the bombing of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques, those convicted of assassinating President Bashir Gemayel, and other crimes for which the Assad regime is accused," Salam said.

For decades, Lebanon witnessed a long series of politically motivated assassinations targeting journalists, politicians and security officials, particularly those opposed to Syrian influence. The 2013 twin bombings of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques in Tripoli in northern Lebanon killed more than 40 people and intensified sectarian tensions already heightened by the spillover from the Syrian war.

Syria has never officially acknowledged involvement in any of Lebanon’s political assassinations.

Salam said he also pushed for renewed cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees.

Lebanese government officials estimate the country hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, of whom about 755,000 are officially registered with the UN refugee agency, or UNHCR, making it the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

While Lebanese authorities have long urged the international community to support large-scale repatriation efforts, human rights organizations have cautioned against forced returns, citing ongoing security concerns and a lack of guarantees in Syria.

Since the fall of Assad in December, an estimated 400,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries, according to UNHCR, with about half of them coming from Lebanon, but many are hesitant to return because of the dire economic situation and fears of continuing instability in Syria.