Ankara and Baghdad agree to maintain portion of oil pipeline inside Iraqi territory

BAGHDAD, August 23 — A statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources on Wednesday announced that Ankara has reached an agreement with Baghdad to collaborate on the maintenance of the oil pipeline between the two countries, particularly the portion inside Iraqi territory.

The Turkish Ministry released a joint statement with its Iraqi counterpart, the Ministry of Oil, following a one-day visit by Iraqi Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani to Ankara.

Maintenance on the pipeline was delayed for nearly months after a section inside Turkey was damaged due to a February 6 earthquake. The same pipeline extends into Iraq as part of a federally-managed network that suffered destruction during the period of ISIS.

An Iraqi Ministry of Oil’s statement on Tuesday did not include any indication of Turkish cooperation for repairing the pipeline within Iraqi territory, but focused on the flow of oil following the completion of maintenance on the section damaged by the earthquake.

Sibhan Mullah Giyad, Political Advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, said Wednesday: “The Iraqi Minister of Oil’s visit to Ankara is fruitful in both its technical and political aspects. We are awaiting decisive outcomes during the upcoming visit of the Turkish President, after the maturation of important files that have been pending for a considerable time.”