Iraq: Pipeline Termination a Formality, New Deal in the Works
Iraq's Oil Ministry, via INA, calls Türkiye's pipeline deal termination a formality under the original treaty. It confirms talks have been ongoing since 2024 for a new, broader energy pact covering oil, gas, and electricity.
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq and Türkiye are already negotiating a new, more comprehensive energy agreement covering oil, gas, and electricity, with Ankara's recent move to terminate a 1973 pipeline pact being a procedural formality required by the original treaty, Iraq's Ministry of Oil announced Monday.
In a clarification issued to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), an official source within the ministry downplayed the significance of the Turkish decree, explaining it was an expected step in transitioning to a modernized energy partnership.
"Regarding what was published about the Turkish President issuing a decree to terminate the agreements and protocols signed between Türkiye and Iraq concerning the crude oil pipeline... the Turkish presidential decree was numbered 10113 and was published in the Official Gazette on July 21, 2025," the source stated to INA.
The presidential decree, signed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, formally ends the 51-year-old Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline (ITP) agreement and its related protocols, effective July 27, 2026.
The ministry source explained to INA that this action aligns perfectly with the terms of the original treaty. "The Iraqi-Turkish pipeline agreement, signed between the two neighboring countries in 1973 and amended in 2010, indicated that its validity would end in July 2026," the source clarified. "It stipulated that if either party wished to terminate it, they must send a written request expressing this desire to the other party one year before the agreement's expiration date."
"Based on this, the Turkish government today issued its decision to terminate the agreement in accordance with its previous clauses," the official added.
Crucially, the ministry source revealed to the Iraqi News Agency that talks to replace the aging agreement have been ongoing for a year. "The Iraqi government, represented by the Ministry of Oil, being keen on the continuity of economic relations with neighboring Türkiye and seeking to extend the agreement, has been in negotiations with the Turkish side since July 2024 to extend the agreement in question," he said.
Furthering this point, the official confirmed that Türkiye has proactively sought a new arrangement. "In the same context, the Turkish Ministry of Energy sent a letter to the Ministry of Oil expressing its desire to renew the agreement, attaching a draft of a new, more comprehensive energy cooperation agreement than the previous one," the source told INA.
The proposed new deal would significantly broaden the scope of energy cooperation to include "oil, gas, petrochemical industries, and electricity."
The Iraqi Ministry of Oil is now evaluating the proposal. The source concluded by telling INA that the ministry "is in the process of reviewing the draft agreement sent by the Turkish side and negotiating with them on it to reach a version that serves the interests of both Iraq and Türkiye."
