The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers convened for a weekly cabinet session to discuss the eagerly anticipated resumption of Kurdish oil exports, which had been halted for over six months. The meeting was led by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani in Erbil, according to an official government statement.

One of the key topics on the agenda was the progress of the ongoing audit of Kurdish civil servants' salaries. This audit is being carried out jointly by the Region's auditing teams and those from the central government in Baghdad.

The export of Kurdish oil was halted on March 25 at the request of the Iraqi government, following Iraq's claim of victory against Turkey at the International Chamber of Commerce's Court of Arbitration. The court had ruled in favor of Iraq, stating that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) should not independently export its oil.

Recent developments have indicated a potential breakthrough in this ongoing dispute. Turkey's energy minister confirmed that the pipeline was ready for export, although the crude flow had not yet resumed. Additionally, a senior Iraqi diplomat reported that Ankara had agreed to resume oil exports.

Baghdad and Ankara are currently in negotiations regarding the $1.5 billion awarded to Iraq by the court as compensation for the damages it claimed to have suffered due to independent Kurdish oil exports. Turkish officials have also reportedly urged their Iraqi counterparts to drop remaining court cases related to the energy dispute.

The halt in oil exports has had significant financial implications, with estimated losses reaching nearly $6 billion. Several oil companies and countries, including the United States and Russia, have voiced their support for the resumption of oil exports.

Before the interruption, the Kurdish region had been independently exporting approximately 450,000 barrels of oil per day through the pipeline, which also transported an additional 100,000 barrels of Iraqi oil from Kirkuk Province.

It is essential for the Kurdistan Region to sell 400,000 barrels of oil per day via the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) to secure its annual 12.6 percent share of Iraq's budget, as stipulated by the country's budget law.

Negotiations between the Kurdistan Regional Government, Turkey, and Iraq continue in the hope of resolving this complex issue and resuming oil exports, which hold significant economic importance for all parties involved.