Baghdad and Erbil agree in Duhok on timetables to resolve outstanding oil and energy issues

The federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government agreed on Sunday, October 25, to set clear timetables to address outstanding files in the oil and energy sectors and to follow up on their implementation, during a meeting held in Duhok between a high-level federal delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Mohsen al-Mandalawi and KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, according to a statement from al-Mandalawi's office.

Oil and electricity ministers among the federal delegation

The expanded meeting was held in the presence of Oil Minister Basim Muhammad al-Abadi, Electricity Minister Ali Saadi Wahib and a number of officials and advisers, alongside several officials from the KRG, to discuss shared files related to energy affairs between the federal government and the regional government and ways to reach mutual understandings on them.

Production, export and revenues on the agenda

The talks covered oil production and export files, marketing mechanisms and revenue management, as well as management of oil wealth within constitutional and legal frameworks and cooperation in the electricity sector. Al-Mandalawi called for continued coordination between Baghdad and Erbil on the energy and oil files, including production and investment plans aimed at meeting domestic demand and increasing public revenues.

Timetables without announced deadlines

The statement did not specify deadlines for resolving the files or announce a final settlement, noting only the agreement on clear timetables and follow-up on their implementation. This comes after an agreement reached by the two sides in March 2026 to resume exports of Kirkuk oil and the region's fields via the regional pipeline to Turkey's port of Ceyhan, with the proceeds to be transferred to the federal treasury.

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