Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline Turkey's strategic priority

BAGHDAD

Turkey's Ambassador to Baghdad Fatih Yildiz on Saturday said re-opening of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline is a strategic priority.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency ahead of the Iraq Energy Forum in Baghdad, Yildiz said the energy field is the basis of strategic relations between Turkey and Iraq.

"After defeating the Daesh terrorist organization, re-opening of Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline is on our agenda again. In this context, operating the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline with additional reinforcement is a strategic priority for Turkey," he said.

Stating that the two countries' energy relations were not limited to oil, Yildiz said: "Another dimension of our energy relations with Iraq is electricity."

"Turkey wants to provide electricity to Iraq. One of the obstacles to that is the lack of lines to carry electricity to the Iraqi side. If these shortcomings are resolved, supplying electricity to areas close to Turkey, including particularly Mosul, will be possible in the coming days," he said.