Türkiye and Iraq plan to activate joint working groups to advance projects in the energy sector, including extending the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline to Basra, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Friday.
After meeting with the Iraqi Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudhair in Ankara, Bayraktar said on social media platform X that the two sides discussed extending the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline to Basra province in southern Iraq and increasing its capacity, describing the plans as important for establishing a strong alternative to the Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz.
The two countries also aim to expand the role of Türkiye's state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation beyond the Kirkuk oil fields to other fields across Iraq, the Turkish minister added.
Iraq and Türkiye signed a one-year agreement on Aug. 1 to boost crude oil exports through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, targeting a flow of 750,000 barrels per day.
