A newly-formed committee of experts are due to visit the Iraqi parliament to address the resumption of oil exports from Kirkuk through the Kurdistan region, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi announced on November 13, according to Kurdistan24.

Discussions between Erbil and Baghdad have taken place over the resumption of Kirkuk oil exports through the Ceyhan pipeline to Turkey, the US pushing the Iraqi government to comply with the initiative. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was previously transporting 300,000 barrels per day (b/d) of oil to turkey.

These exports were halted after Iraqi forces and Iranian backed militias attacked Kurdish forces in Kirkuk in 2017, seizing the city. Since then the Iraqi government has been trucking 30,000 b/d from Kirkuk to Iran. These exports were stopped before the implementation of US sanctions on Iranian energy trade on November 5.

The committee will also discuss the 2019 draft budget bill, which saw backlash from lawmakers from multiple provinces and the Kurdistan region during a recent cabinet session, saying that the division of resources was not reflective of the populations inhabiting each area.

“The committee includes representatives from all provinces and the region” and will “go to parliament on Sunday and Monday to present a series of arguments” on the pending issues, Abdul-Mahdi said during his weekly press conference in Baghdad.

“The government is trying to find the correct formula,” Abdul-Mahdi said, adding that “good relations between the two sides contributes to what is best for the Iraqi people as a whole.”