Iraq, Kurdish region sign deal to resume oil exports

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, right, and his Kurdish counterpart Masrour Barzani sign deal to restart northern oil exports in Baghdad on Tuesday. Reuters
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Updated 04 April 2023
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Iraq, Kurdish region sign deal to resume oil exports

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan autonomous region signed an accord on Tuesday to allow Kurdish oil exports to resume through Turkey after they were halted 10 days earlier.

The agreement, signed in Baghdad in the presence of Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani and Kurdish Premier Masrour Barzani, was to be implemented “today,” a Kurdish regional government official told AFP.

The deal was described as temporary but signals the end of independent oil exports by northern Iraq’s Kurdish regional government.

The agreement comes two days after Iraq, major oil exporters announced a sharp reduction in their production from May that sent up global energy prices.

Barzani said on Twitter that the deal is “temporary” until Iraq’s parliament agrees a new oil and gas law, but he called it “a crucial step toward ending the long-standing dispute” between Irbil and Baghdad.

Ankara had stopped handling Iraqi Kurdish oil last month after an international tribunal ruled in a nine-year-old dispute that Baghdad was right to insist on overseeing all Iraqi oil exports.

Oil exports are the key revenue source for both the federal and regional governments and their management has long been a sensitive topic in relations.

Sales of Kurdistan crude will be managed from now by the State Oil Marketing Organization, a federal government official and a Kurdish official told AFP.

A joint committee formed by the federal and regional governments will supervise the export process, they added.

Revenues will be paid into an account under the control of the Kurdish government which will be overseen by Baghdad, they said.

 


Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,847

Updated 25 February 2026
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,847

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Wednesday, losing 58.51 points, or 0.54 percent, to close at 10,847.93.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR3.78 billion ($1 billion), as 73 of the listed stocks advanced, while 187 retreated.

The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 7.09 points or 0.48 percent, to close at 1,472.98.

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 178.75 points, or 0.77 percent, to close at 22,916.83. This comes as 30 of the listed stocks advanced, while 37 retreated.

The best-performing stock was the Power and Water Utility Co. for Jubail and Yanbu, with its share price surging by 8.47 percent to SR31.24.

Other top performers included Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co., which saw its share price rise by 6.13 percent to SR53.70, and Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals Factory Co., which saw a 4.58 percent increase to SR137.

On the downside, the worst performer of the day was CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co., whose share price fell by 5.14 percent to SR17.53.

Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. and Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co. also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 4.87 percent and 4.43 percent to SR4.88 and SR181.40, respectively.

On the announcement front, Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. announced its annual financial results for 2025, with sales dropping 3.06 percent year-on-year to SR8.45 billion. The company also recorded a net loss of SR893.86 million.

In a Tadawul statement, the company said the net loss and decline in annual sales were driven by a drop in average selling prices, despite higher sales volumes.