Iraq and Türkiye Sign One-Year Agreement on Oil Exports via Ceyhan

Iraqi Oil Ministry's Media Office

Iraqi and Turkish delegations negotiating on oil exports through the Turkish port of ceyhan.

Iraq and Türkiye have signed a one-year agreement to transport and export Iraqi crude oil through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, marking a significant step towards strengthening energy cooperation between the two countries.

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar announced the agreement during a press conference on Saturday, saying it is intended to facilitate the transport and export of Iraqi crude through the Iraq–Türkiye pipeline.

Bayraktar said: "Iraq and Türkiye have signed an agreement on the use of the oil pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, in a move aimed at strengthening energy cooperation between the two countries and facilitating the transportation and export of Iraqi crude oil."

The agreement was reached during an expanded meeting in Ankara between delegations from both countries. According to a statement from Iraq's Ministry of Oil, the Iraqi delegation was led by Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudair al-Abadi, while the Turkish side was headed by Bayraktar.

The ministry said the talks focused on an agreement covering the transport and loading of Iraqi crude oil through the Iraq–Türkiye pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, noting that the agreement will remain in force for one year while both sides work towards a broader framework agreement covering the electricity, water resources and oil sectors.

Under the agreement, Iraq will export a minimum of 750,000 barrels of crude oil per day through the pipeline, according to the statement.

Earlier on Saturday, Iraqi Oil Ministry spokesman Salim al-Rikabi said the agreement is designed to ensure the continued export of Iraqi crude through the port of Ceyhan. He explained that it involves Iraq's State Organisation for Marketing Oil (SOMO) and the North Oil Company, alongside Türkiye's state pipeline operator BOTAŞ.

Al-Rikabi said the agreement sets an export capacity of 750,000 barrels per day, adding that reaching this level will depend on improved security conditions in the Kurdistan Region, the return of international oil companies, the resumption of production in the region, and the transportation of crude from southern to northern Iraq.

He added that the deal is intended as a precursor to a comprehensive long-term agreement that aims to increase export capacity to more than one million barrels per day once the Basra–Haditha–Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline project is completed.



PUKMEDIA