Ankara: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Turkey is prepared to facilitate the transportation of oil and natural gas produced in both northern and southern Iraq to the global market. This could be achieved by utilizing Turkish territory as a transit route, Fidan stated.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Fidan explained that currently, only the oil and gas from northern Iraq are transported to world markets through Turkey. In contrast, the resources from southern Iraq are shipped elsewhere. He emphasized the potential benefits of connecting southern Iraqi oil deposits to Europe via pipelines through Turkey, which could open a substantial market for Iraq.
Fidan further mentioned Turkey’s reliance on imports for 90% of its oil and gas needs and expressed Turkey’s willingness to invest in and purchase Iraqi energy resources. This is contingent on Baghdad reaching an agreement with the Iraqi Kurdistan authorities and restarting the pipeline connecting Mosul in northern Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
The Foreign Minister highlighted that the existing pipeline, which has been inactive for approximately 18 months, needs to be operational again. He pointed out that an agreement between Erbil and Baghdad is pending, and resolving this would mitigate the financial losses Iraq has been experiencing due to supply disruptions. Fidan expressed optimism that the issue could be resolved collaboratively between Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurds.