Iraq, Turkey begin oil and energy talks
Shafaq News/ Energy ministers of Iraq and Turkey held a meeting in Baghdad on Wednesday to discuss "oil and energy" talks as the two countries seek to resume Iraqi oil shipments via Ceyhan port after a hiatus due to legal disputes.
The meeting was held between Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs, Oil Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani, and Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alpaslan Bayraktar.
The two sides, according to the readout, discussed bilateral relations in the oil and energy sectors and ways to enhance cooperation in these areas.
The talks also included a meeting of officials from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. "The meeting discussed issues of mutual interest, including ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in all areas, especially in the oil and energy sectors."
It is expected that the visiting minister will meet with other government officials during his visit to Baghdad.
Turkey halted flows through Iraq's northern oil export route after an arbitration ruling in March by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) ordered Ankara to pay Baghdad damages for unauthorized exports between 2014 and 2018.
Turkey says the pipeline is prepared for shipments to begin, but the Iraqi side insists it has not received official notification from Turkey on whether the pipeline is ready.
Turkey's closure of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline in March has collectively cost Iraq, Kurdistan's Regional Government (KRG), and oil producers a total of $7 billion in lost export revenues, the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) has previously said.
