A planned meeting between the Iraqi Federal Ministry of Oil, oil companies, and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Natural Resources, scheduled for Saturday in Baghdad, has been postponed indefinitely.

The meeting was intended to resume negotiations on restarting oil exports from the Kurdistan Region, which have been halted since 2023. However, sources told Rudaw that the discussions were delayed at the request of the federal government.

A source invited to the meeting confirmed to Rudaw that "at Baghdad’s request, today’s meeting between the KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources, oil companies, and the Iraqi government has been postponed."

Assem Jihad, spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, stated that "no meeting will take place today between the Federal Ministry of Oil, oil companies, and the KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources regarding the resumption of oil exports."

Bushra Al-Qaisi, a member of the Iraqi Parliament’s Oil and Gas Committee, told Rudaw that "no date has been set yet for a meeting or public session." She added that while the KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources had requested a preliminary meeting with the federal ministry, Baghdad has not yet confirmed a time.

The talks were expected to follow up on an amendment to Iraq’s three-year budget law, passed on February 2, 2025, which aimed to restart oil exports from the Kurdistan Region. The amendment set a temporary price of $16 per barrel to cover production and transportation costs until an international consulting firm determines a fair price within 60 days.

However, disputes remain between the federal government, the KRG, and oil companies over unpaid debts and payment guarantees, delaying any final agreement.

Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani had announced on Wednesday (April 16) that a KRG delegation would visit Baghdad on Saturday to restart negotiations. However, with the latest postponement, the resumption of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region remains uncertain.