Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shi’a Al-Sudani affirmed on Monday that the government is putting significant efforts into resuming the export of oil from the Kurdistan Region. This announcement was made during a meeting with the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, as part of ongoing discussions to enhance cooperation between Iraq and Turkey, particularly in the energy sector.
Key Areas of Focus for Cooperation
The Prime Minister’s office released a statement confirming that Prime Minister Al-Sudani emphasized the importance of bolstering bilateral cooperation with Turkish companies across various sectors. This includes expanding energy collaboration, diversifying energy sources, and improving Iraq’s electricity supply through the joint interconnection project between the two nations. The collaboration also extends to significant projects, such as the strategic development road and efforts to ensure regular water imports to Iraq.
Al-Sudani also highlighted the government’s efforts to address the technical issues preventing the Kurdistan Region from resuming oil exports. Negotiations are ongoing with foreign oil companies contracted with the region to resolve these issues and restore the flow of oil exports, which has been disrupted for some time.
Turkey’s Role and Future Cooperation
Minister Bayraktar expressed Turkey’s eagerness to further enhance cooperation with Iraq, especially in refinery projects, petrochemical industries, and oil exports. He specifically referred to the potential of exporting oil from Iraq’s Basra region through Turkey’s Ceyhan port. Additionally, he reiterated the importance of the development road project between the two countries, which offers promising investment opportunities.
This cooperation is part of Iraq’s broader strategy to revive and strengthen its energy sector while deepening ties with neighboring countries to secure economic growth and stability.
