Iraq And Türkiye Reach One-Year Oil Export Protocol Through Ceyhan Pipeline
Speaking to Kurdistan24, Director General of Contracts at the KRG's Ministry of Natural Resources, said that the temporary protocol will keep more than 200,000 barrels per day flowing through Ceyhan.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iraq and Türkiye have agreed on a one-year temporary protocol to ensure the continuation of oil exports through the pipeline linking the Kurdistan Region to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, a senior Kurdistan Regional Government official said on Friday.
Dr. Khazal Hostani, Director General of Contracts at the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Natural Resources, told Kurdistan24 that the agreement followed intensive discussions between Iraqi, Kurdistan Regional Government, and Turkish officials in Ankara on the future of the Iraq–Türkiye oil pipeline and broader energy cooperation.
Hostani said representatives from the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Natural Resources participated in the high-level Iraqi delegation that visited the Turkish capital for two days of meetings with senior officials from Türkiye's Ministry of Energy.
"We were part of the high-level Iraqi delegation that visited Ankara for talks with the Turkish side," Hostani said. "During the two-day visit, we held a series of intensive financial, legal, and technical meetings with senior officials at Türkiye's Ministry of Energy."
According to Hostani, the discussions concluded with an agreement to draft and sign a temporary protocol aimed at maintaining the export of Iraqi oil, including crude produced in the Kurdistan Region, through the pipeline to the port of Ceyhan.
Hostani explained that the one-year protocol is designed to ensure uninterrupted exports after the current long-term agreement between Iraq and Türkiye expires later this month.
"The purpose of this one-year temporary agreement is to ensure that oil exports to Ceyhan continue," he said, adding that the extension will provide sufficient time for the federal government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the Turkish side to negotiate and finalize a new long-term agreement.
She also noted that more than 200,000 barrels of Iraqi oil are currently exported each day through the Kurdistan Region's pipeline to Ceyhan.
In a separate statement, the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Natural Resources said the Iraqi delegation included representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Oil, alongside officials from the ministry led by Dr. Khazal Hostani, Director General of Economic Affairs and Contracts, and Dr. Baroz Izzo, Director General of Technical Affairs.
The ministry said the meetings focused on mechanisms to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the energy sector and on ensuring the uninterrupted continuation of Iraqi oil exports after the current agreement expires, in a manner that serves the shared interests of both countries.
According to the statement, both sides agreed to continue coordination and prepare an implementation protocol that will maintain Iraqi oil exports for one year. During that period, Iraq and Türkiye intend to negotiate and sign a new long-term agreement, with the temporary protocol serving as a transitional framework to facilitate a broader economic partnership.