Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) reportedly announced on Tuesday that it has concluded all contracts and obligations with buyers of oil produced in the Kurdistan Region. The company emphasised that resuming exports from Kurdistan would restore Iraq’s role as a key supplier to the European market.
SOMO Director General Ali Nizar al-Shatri [Shatari] told the state-owned Iraqi News Agency (INA) that current issues in Kurdistan are matters of operational arrangements, noting that Iraqi law applies to all parties. He explained that the federal Ministry of Oil and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Natural Resources operate under a single framework, with differences only in the relationship between the regional government and producing companies.
Al-Shatri added that the federal and regional governments, along with producing companies, need to finalise the 2025 budget law implementation mechanism. Advanced understandings have been reached, and efforts continue to allow crude oil flows to Turkey’s Ceyhan port for export.
He noted that Kurdish crude is currently consumed locally, with excess quantities planned for export under the 2025 budget law. SOMO has completed all contractual obligations and is ready to receive oil once production resumes. He highlighted that Iraqi oil closely matches Russian crude quality, positioning Iraq as a key alternative supplier amid the Russian-European supply gap. No oil has yet been delivered to SOMO from the Kurdistan Ministry of Natural Resources, and contractual relations remain between the ministry and producing companies.
