Türkiye Says Kirkuk-Baniyas Pipeline Poses No Economic Threat
Türkiye’s energy minister says reactivating the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline between Iraq and Syria poses no threat to Türkiye’s economy, citing joint energy cooperation.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Türkiye does not view the reactivation of the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline between Iraq and Syria as a threat to its economic interests, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said on Friday.
Anadolu Agency published the minister’s remarks, in which he also raised the possibility of a joint offshore energy exploration project off the Syrian coast in the future.
Bayraktar said Syria requires investment on a large scale, and that Ankara does not regard the reopening of the oil pipeline linking Iraq and Syria as a risk to its economic interests.
He noted that joint cooperation in the energy and mining sectors can play a significant role in consolidating peace, prosperity and stability in Syria and across the region.
The minister also highlighted that offshore exploration and surveying in Syria may be carried out in the future, depending on economic viability and the geological conditions of the area.
The remarks follow an agreement signed on July 17, when Iraq and Syria, under US supervision, inked a memorandum of understanding to reactivate the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline. The deal paves the way for Iraqi oil to be transported through Syrian territory to Mediterranean ports.
The accord between Baghdad and Damascus forms part of Iraq’s continuing efforts to diversify its crude oil export outlets. It also comes alongside moves to strengthen economic cooperation with Syria and open a new corridor for marketing Iraqi crude on global markets.
With Ankara signaling support for regional energy cooperation, attention now turns to whether the pipeline’s reactivation and the prospect of offshore exploration will deepen economic ties between Iraq, Syria and Türkiye.