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The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) in a statement on March 23 said it has urged senior members of President Joe Biden’s administration and members of U.S. Congress to cancel the planned April 15 visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani to Washington, D.C.

“Prior to the visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani to Washington, the Government of Iraq must take action to restore oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP) and implement a fair budget for Iraq’s Kurdistan Region,” Myles B. Caggins III, spokesman for APIKUR, told Kurdistan Chronicle.

APIKUR, which represents several international oil companies (IOCs) in the Kurdistan Region, said the visit should not proceed unless the ITP is reopened, allowing oil produced in the Kurdistan Region to be exported to international markets. 

“It is important that the White House focus on more than security and troop levels during the Iraqi prime minister’s forthcoming visit,” Caggins emphasized. “The United States pumps more than $1 billion each year into Iraq’s treasury for direct military assistance and development aid; meanwhile, the Government of Iraq refuses to maximize its own revenue by allowing oil exports—including from U.S.-owned companies—from the Kurdistan Region to global markets.”

Moreover, APIKUR said IOCs should receive surety of payment for past and future oil exports and Baghdad should fully implement the Iraqi federal budget for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The KRG in a statement on March 16 said that Baghdad has yet to fully disburse the owed budget of 9.4 trillion Iraqi dinars to the Kurdistan Region – as mandated by financial agreements – including the portion of sovereign expenditures, such as salaries for the peshmerga forces.

Kurdistan Chronicle news agency. 
Wladimir van Wilgenburg 
March 24, 2024