Sudanese To The Turkish Minister Of Energy: We Are Ready To Find A Solution To Resume Oil Exports
Baghdad Today – Baghdad Today, Wednesday (November 22, 2023), Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani confirmed during his meeting with the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alp Arslan Bayraktar, and his accompanying delegation, the government’s readiness to find a solution to resume the export of Kurdistan region’s oil through the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office received by “Baghdad Today” stated, “The meeting discussed cooperation relations between Iraq and Turkey in the field of energy and ways to develop it, as well as discussing the efforts of the two countries to resume the work of the meetings of the Joint Economic Committee at its 19th session, and to continue work on the issue of exporting Iraqi oil through the Turkish port of Ceyhan.” ".
During the meeting, the Prime Minister explained, "The government's readiness to find a solution to resume oil exports," stressing that "Iraq has adopted fair solutions, within the limits of the Constitution, in dealing with various issues of neighboring countries."
Al-Sudani referred to "the water file, Iraq's water share, and the trend toward optimal use of water, especially in the field of agriculture," stressing, "Iraq looks forward to more Turkish cooperation in this file, which receives great attention from the government, because of its economic and humanitarian impacts."
He also referred to "the important strategic project that both countries are working on, which is the path of development, and the steady growth it will achieve in various joint economic sectors."
The meeting also discussed, according to the statement, "the position of the two countries regarding the current events in Gaza, and the conformity of visions regarding the Palestinian issue. In this regard, the Prime Minister appreciated Turkey's clear position on the condemned attacks on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."
For his part, the Turkish Minister conveyed to the Prime Minister the greetings of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his country’s desire for more cooperation in various fields. He pointed to the Turkish President’s clear and detailed interest in the development road project, stressing that Iraq is an important country not only for Turkey, but also For European countries, especially in the field of energy and the promising investment opportunities it has in the global gas market.”
It was likely that an agreement would be reached last week between Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government and foreign oil companies to resume production from oil fields in the region following the visit of Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani a week ago to Erbil.
Turkey stopped flows amounting to 450,000 barrels per day through the export route in the Iraqi Kurdistan region leading to the port of Ceyhan, on March 25, 2023, two days after a ruling issued by the International Chamber of Commerce.
The International Chamber of Commerce ordered Ankara to pay compensation to Baghdad amounting to about $1.5 billion for unauthorized exports by the Kurdistan Regional Government between 2014 and 2018.
Baghdad submitted a request for arbitration in 2014 before the International Chamber of Commerce, based in Paris, regarding Turkey’s role in facilitating oil exports from Kurdistan without the approval of the federal government.
Last March, the International Chamber of Commerce ruled in favor of Iraq that it has the right to control loading at the port of Ceyhan and see what is being loaded.
Iraq announced last May that the halt, in March, coincided with Turkey's request to inspect the pipeline and storage tanks to monitor any damage resulting from the devastating earthquake that occurred on February 6.
The two countries agreed to wait until the pipeline maintenance assessment is completed to resume flows while continuing the legal battle over arbitration awards. LINK
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