Türkiye Signals Strategic Energy Cooperation with Iraq

(MENAFN) Türkiye is actively monitoring developments to resume oil shipments through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, signaling heightened energy cooperation prospects with Iraq, a senior Turkish energy official revealed Saturday.

“Our Kirkuk-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline has been operating since the 1970s. Recently, a resumption of oil flow has been spoken about. We are closely following this with Iraq,” Ahmet Berat Conkar, Türkiye’s deputy energy and natural resources minister, stated during the Anadolu-covered Baghdad International Energy Forum.

Highlighting the critical nature of Turkish-Iraqi energy relations, Conkar confirmed ongoing negotiations: “They told us that negotiations between international oil companies, the regional (KRG) administration, and the central (Baghdad) government are nearing a conclusion. God willing, once these issues are resolved, we expect the pipeline to be used at full capacity.”

Beyond oil, Conkar emphasized broader energy collaboration, including talks on natural gas, electricity, and the Development Road Project as a strategic energy corridor linking the two nations.

“The energy potential with Iraq is much higher than in the past,” he noted, adding that infrastructure development efforts are actively underway.

Conkar stressed that the aim is to harness energy ties as a catalyst for regional stability and growth, fostering optimism for the future.

“We are striving to take both the energy transformation and our long-standing relations with Iraq to a new phase,” Conkar concluded.

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