Statement Issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Kurdistan Regional Government
Welat TV – Erbil
The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Kurdistan Regional Government issued a statement on Sunday, March 15, 2026, in response to accusations made by the Iraqi Federal Ministry of Oil regarding the reasons behind the disruption of oil exports through the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
The following is the full text of the statement: The Iraqi Ministry of Oil issued a statement claiming that the Kurdistan Region is unwilling to export oil through the pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
In order to correct the facts and clarify the matter for the public, we would like to outline the following points:
1. The Ministry’s statement deliberately ignores the true dimensions of the issue in all its aspects and instead distorts the facts while making unfounded accusations against the Kurdistan Region in an attempt to mislead public opinion.
2. Since the beginning of January, the government in Baghdad has imposed a severe economic blockade on the Kurdistan Region under the pretext of implementing the ASYCUDA customs system. This has prevented traders in the region from accessing foreign currency (U.S. dollars), resulting in a complete paralysis of commercial activity. Baghdad has also refused to grant the Region the necessary time frame to implement the system, despite this being a legitimate request we raised from the very beginning of the crisis.
3. All oil and gas fields, refineries, and energy facilities in the Kurdistan Region have been subjected to blatant attacks by outlaw militias. These terrorist attacks have led to a complete halt in production, leaving no available quantities of oil for export.
4. Baghdad has remained unwilling to confront these terrorist attacks against the Kurdistan Region or act to prevent them. To date, we have not witnessed any effective measures to stop these assaults.
5. It is a striking contradiction that many of the individuals involved in these attacks receive their salaries, weapons, and financial support from Baghdad, while at the same time the salaries and financial entitlements of the citizens of the Kurdistan Region are being delayed, reduced, or sent in amounts less than what they are actually owed.
6. The Kurdistan Region has consistently demonstrated its strong commitment and full readiness to help Iraq and the Region overcome this crisis. We have repeatedly called on Baghdad to initiate constructive and comprehensive dialogue to address these issues. However, our calls have been ignored, while persistent attempts have been made to impose unconstitutional agendas and unlawful demands on the Region. We reaffirm our firm position and full readiness for specialized technical teams to engage in urgent negotiations to resolve the outstanding points of disagreement.
Our aim is to reach swift and effective solutions that serve the supreme national interest of Iraq as a whole and put an end to the injustice and unfair treatment imposed upon the Kurdistan Region.
Ministry of Natural Resources
Kurdistan Regional Government
March 15, 2026