Turkish energy minister to visit Iraq to discuss new projects

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

Energy Minister Taner Yıldız. DHA PHoto

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız has said he will visit Baghdad on Jan. 18 to discuss new projects with Iraqi ministers.In a press conference on Jan. 14, Yıldız said they will discuss the development of pipelines from the southern province of Basra to northern Iraq. The project will connect the Yumurtalık oil pipeline to the Kirkuk pipeline in the Kirkuk province of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).“We will also discuss the Arbil-Baghdad agreement. We hope they will reach agreements on most points. Once both sides reach an agreement, Iraq will move forward in terms of stability,” he said.He also revealed that the 46th shipment of Kurdish oil has been loaded in Turkey and exported to world markets.“The total of exports of Kurdish oil to Turkey has reached 37 million barrels. Some 450,000 barrels are exported to Turkey daily. We are working to increase this volume to 550,000 barrels per day,” he noted.