Iraqi Kurdistan has begun exporting its first cargo of crude oil through Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız told Reuters on Thursday, despite a long-standing dispute with Baghdad over the sharing of oil revenues.
The first 1 million barrel cargo of piped oil was loading in Ceyhan, where around 2.5 million barrels of Iraqi Kurdish crude has been stored, Yıldız said. An industry source said the tanker wsa expected to depart late on Thursday. "Loading will be completed today," Yıldız said. He declined to comment on the buyer as the sale was carried out by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Baghdad central government claims the sole authority to manage and sell Iraqi oil. Months of talks between the semi-autonomous enclave and the central government have borne little fruit reports Today's Zaman.