‘We are striving to take both energy transformation and our long-standing relations with Iraq to a new phase,’ says Turkish deputy energy minister
Türkiye sees a potential for greater energy cooperation with Iraq and is closely following efforts to restart oil flows via the pipeline between Kirkuk in Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Administration (KRG) and the Turkish city of Ceyhan, a top energy official said 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, told Anadolu during this weekend's Baghdad International Energy Forum.
Underlining the significance of Turkish-Iraqi energy ties, Conkar said: “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.”
Conkar said the Türkiye-Iraq pipeline could be further developed from a broader perspective, adding that the two countries are also negotiating cooperation in natural gas, electricity, and the Development Road Project as an energy corridor.
“The energy potential with Iraq is much higher than in the past,” Conkar said, adding that efforts are ongoing to build the necessary infrastructure.
He said the goal is to make energy cooperation in the region a driver of stability and prosperity, enabling a more confident outlook for the future.
“We are striving to take both the energy transformation and our long-standing relations with Iraq to a new phase,” Conkar added.
