Iraq to extend Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline agreement

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A senior Iraqi delegation traveled to Ankara on June 30 to negotiate an extension of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline agreement, while Baghdad seeks to secure its northern export route, a government source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

Trilateral coordination between Iraq, Turkiye, and Syria is ongoing, the source noted, adding that the delegation in Ankara aims to reassure Turkiye that the Syrian route is not an alternative to the Ceyhan pipeline but a parallel route serving shared interests.

Read more: Iraq, Syria to rehabilitate Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline

The team, which includes technical, security, and oil officials, is working to address technical issues, develop the Ceyhan line, and increase its capacity. The talks also pave the way for an expected visit by Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi to Turkiye after his return from Washington.

According to the source, discussions also cover technical details of the new deal and efforts to reach settlements to recover Iraqi funds in Turkiye that belong to suspects in corruption cases “who deposited them in Turkish banks through operations suspected of links to money laundering.”

Last week, an official at the state-run North Oil Company said technical work to rehabilitate the Iraq-Turkiye pipeline from Kirkuk to Ceyhan had been completed, and the trial pumping would begin within two weeks before exports resume steadily.

Iraq formally asked Turkiye to extend the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline operating agreement for at least one year, giving both sides more time to negotiate a new deal governing oil exports through the strategic route. The current framework is set to expire on July 27 after decades of regulating oil exports between Baghdad and Ankara.

Read more: Iraq–Turkiye pipeline restart reshapes energy balance