ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday presided over the signing of three memoranda of understanding between the two neighboring countries in Ankara, including one on police training. They also expressed interest in increasing oil exports from the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline.
Zaidi led a delegation to Ankara on Tuesday, where they were warmly received by Erdogan. The three MoUs were signed under the auspices of both leaders.
The deals cover "cooperation in the field of industrial property... cooperation in the field of academic training" and "cooperation in the fields of youth and sports," according to a statement from Zaidi's office.
“We want to advance this relationship and expand it, and for the relationship to be a partnership and a brotherhood,” Zaidi said, speaking alongside Erdogan, adding, “We will expand the economic resources also in the energy field, and we will multiply the oil flows.”
A pipeline between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey is currently used to export oil from the Region and federal areas. Baghdad turned to this route after the Iran-US war virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which most Iraqi crude passed before the war.
Iraq is also working on reopening a pipeline between Kirkuk and Turkey.
Iraq and Turkey signed an agreement on August 27, 1973, allowing Iraq to export oil to Turkey. It has been renewed repeatedly over the years, most recently in 2010, but has since expired without renewal. Erdogan has asked for the terms to be changed, and both countries are working on an interim agreement until they reach a permanent one.
"Our goal is to sign a comprehensive energy cooperation agreement as soon as possible," Erdogan said on Tuesday.
Erdogan quoted Zaidi as telling him Iraq can supply Turkey with one million barrels of oil per day.
"He says, 'Don't be dependent on anyone else.' One million barrels. Yes, Mr. Prime Minister, there's no need to be dependent on anyone. If we can transfer one million barrels of oil from our immediate neighbor Iraq, God willing, it will meet our needs," Erdogan added.
Separately, the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has acquired a 15 percent stake in BP Energy Company of Kirkuk Limited (BP ECKL), which operates BP's oil and gas fields in Kirkuk. BP welcomed the Turkish company's entry into the fields.
"TPAO has been a trusted partner for more than 30 years through our work together across the Caspian region. This agreement builds on that long-standing relationship and, alongside our partnership with ConocoPhillips, positions us strongly for the next phase of redevelopment in Kirkuk," a BP statement cited CEO Meg O’Neill as saying.
Erdogan also highlighted the importance of the Development Road, a $17 billion infrastructure initiative aimed at transforming Iraq into a major transit corridor. The route will extend approximately 1,200 kilometers from the Grand al-Faw Port in Iraq's southern Basra province to the Fishkhabur border crossing with Turkey.
Zaidi said the road would be a meeting point between the two countries, connecting east and west.
