Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar and Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad Ali Reza Konai discussed, on Wednesday, the rehabilitation of the oil pipeline that extends from Kirkuk in northern Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.
This came during a meeting between them at the ministry’s headquarters in Baghdad, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Oil Ministry.
The statement said that the two sides discussed “strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two neighboring countries and the desire of Turkish companies to implement projects and investment in the oil and energy sector, and joint cooperation in rehabilitating the strategic oil carrier line between the two countries.”
The line stopped transporting Iraqi crude after ISIS invaded northern Iraq in 2014, and the war that lasted until 2017, damaged large parts of the line on the Iraqi side.
Before stopping, the line was pumping oil from the Kirkuk rights in northern Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, and from there it was unloading oil in marine tankers for sale in the global markets.
The statement said that Abdul Jabbar and Konai also discussed “working to enhance investment opportunities for Turkish companies in Iraq, and discussing the project of linking services for transporting goods from the south to the north through the Faw port (under implementation).”
He added: “The integration of the FAO project with the discharge capacities of Gulf ports, and the importance of creating a safe path for road and rail transport services, as well as the possibility of Iraq’s role in transporting gas from the Gulf to Turkey and Europe were discussed.”
For his part, the Turkish ambassador expressed the desire of his country’s government to develop bilateral relations in all fields, especially the oil and energy sector, and the desire of Turkish companies to work in Iraq and to promote and develop investment opportunities.
The volume of trade exchange between Iraq and Turkey is $17 billion, and the two countries aspire to raise it to $20 billion during the coming period.
