Federal Region of Kurdistan reported that they will soon again start the oil exportation that they had given a brake for one and a half years due to the disagreements with Baghdad.

President of Kurdistan Region Berham Salih at his statement to AFP expressed that the oil companies had started testing and pilot studies for exportation.

Salih noted that they are "optimistic" about the implementation of the agreements made, adding, “"Exports will start soon”.

Kurds for the first time in their history began to export their oil on 1 June 2009 but the exports were stopped in October 2009 due to disagreements with the central government of Baghdad which didn’t recognize the agreements of foreign companies with the Kurdish region.

Former Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Þehristani said in a statement in December that crude oil exports of Federal Kurdistan Region government would start again by the beginning of 2011. Iraq's new Oil Minister Abdul Kerim al-Luaybi stated in December that exports would begin on February 1st.

Translation: Berna Ozgencil