Politics

Association of oil companies in Kurdistan appoints retired colonel as spokesperson

Caggins is a military veteran and public affairs expert with over 26 years of service in the United States Army and served three tours in Iraq.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/08/27 21:46

US Army Col. Myles Caggins speaks during a press conference in the Kurdistan Region's Erbil. (Photo: KRG)

Kurdistan Myles B Caggins III APIKUR US Coalition forces

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) on Sunday appointed retired Colonel Myles B. Caggins III, U.S. Army, as its spokesperson.

Caggins previously served as the senior spokesman for the US-led coalition against ISIS.

Caggins is a military veteran and public affairs expert with over 26 years of service in the United States Army and served three tours in Iraq, serving alongside the Iraqi Army and Kurdish Peshmerga.

In 2021, he indicated he aimed to return to the Kurdistan Region.

Myles is a frequent international affairs commentator on Arabic and Kurdish-language media networks, and has frequently commented on issues in the region for Kurdistan 24.

He has also led strategic communications programs at the Pentagon and the White House.

“APIKUR’s member companies directly employ thousands of hard-working Iraqi citizens, and thousands more indirectly through service companies, contractors and the communities neighboring our operations and offices,” said Caggins.

“It is imperative that Iraq remains a business-friendly environment—including for international oil companies--in order to continue on a path toward prosperity and to attract additional foreign investments.”

APIKUR was founded in 2023 by international upstream oil and gas companies active in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq with the goal of promoting the Kurdistan Region as an attractive destination for the gas and oil sector.

Members include DNO, Genel Energy, Gulf Keystone Petroleum, HKN Energy and ShaMaran Petroleum

Turkey halted the 450,000 barrels per day of Kurdish oil exports on March 25 at the request of Baghdad after the Paris-based International Court of Arbitration of the ICC ruled that Turkey had violated an aspect of the 1973 pipeline agreement between the two countries.

Since then, there have been discussions between Turkey and Iraq to resume oil exports, including during a recent visit of Turkish FM Hakan Fidan to Baghdad and Erbil.

The APIKUR have previously called on Baghdad and Erbil to ensure international oil companies internationally recognized contractual rights are honored and to resume oil exports.