Masoud Barzani calls on Baghdad and Erbil to meet and resolve disputes

ERBIL — Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani called on Monday for the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to hold direct talks to resolve outstanding disputes, as tensions between Baghdad and Erbil over oil exports, the dollar embargo and security responsibilities deepen alongside the regional war.

“At a time when our region is witnessing many wars and disturbances, Iraq is under the threat of multiple crises amid increasing polarization in political orientations among the various parties,” Barzani wrote on social media, calling on both governments to “meet together to address the complex issues and disputes, reach an agreement, and put an end to those opportunists who seek to ignite and deepen divisions and crises.”

The statement comes as Baghdad and Erbil are locked in a public dispute over the resumption of crude exports through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline to Turkey’s Ceyhan port — a standoff that has taken on urgent dimensions after regional conflict disrupted Iraq’s southern export terminals. The KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources accused Baghdad earlier Sunday of misrepresenting and distorting the reasons behind the export halt in an attempt to shift blame onto the Kurdistan Region.

Iraq’s parliament is expected to host federal and KRG oil ministers for a session Tuesday evening to seek a resolution.