Letter from Turkish minister addresses Iraqi oil pipeline inspection and resumption of exports

BAGHDAD, August 22 — 964 has obtained a copy of a letter sent by the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources to his Iraqi counterpart, in which he confirms that Ankara has provided Baghdad with technical details from inspections that revealed “damage” to the oil pipeline to the Ceyhan port due to earthquakes in February of this year.

The letter also requests permission for a Turkish technical team to inspect the portion of the pipeline located inside Iraq’s territory to ensure its suitability for operations, after it went offline in March.

The letter, acquired by 964 from a parliamentary source and dated August 2, extended an invitation to Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani to visit Ankara. Minister Abdul Ghani arrived in the Turkish capital on Monday with a high-level delegation.

The letter, written by Turkish Minister Alparsalan Bayraktar, included Turkish proposals for restarting oil transfers via the pipeline. The proposals differ from recent leaks of a six-point plan that mentioned prices or new tariffs imposed on shipments. Instead, the letter addressed the commitments of both parties to resume oil exports.