Iraqi Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudair arrived in Ankara on Saturday at the head of a high-level delegation to sign a new agreement governing the transportation and loading of Iraqi crude oil through the Iraq–Turkey pipeline to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

According to a source at Iraq’s Oil Ministry, the visit is intended to finalize an agreement that will regulate and ensure the continuation of crude oil exports through the strategic Iraq–Turkey energy corridor. The move follows the expiration of the previous pipeline agreement between Baghdad and Ankara and reflects joint efforts by both governments to maintain Iraqi crude exports and strengthen bilateral energy cooperation.

The long-standing agreement governing the Kirkuk–Ceyhan oil pipeline expired on July 27 after serving as the legal framework for oil exports between Iraq and Turkey for decades. The pipeline has historically been one of Iraq’s most important export routes, transporting crude oil from northern Iraqi fields to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, where it is loaded onto tankers for international markets.

The export route has also played a vital role in transporting crude oil produced in the Kurdistan Region. However, operations along the pipeline have been repeatedly disrupted in recent years due to security concerns, technical problems, and political and legal disputes involving the Iraqi federal government, Turkey, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The pipeline has remained largely inactive since March 2023, when an international arbitration ruling concerning oil exports from the Kurdistan Region led to its shutdown. The suspension halted exports through Ceyhan and resulted in substantial financial losses for both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

In June, a senior official at Iraq’s North Oil Company announced that rehabilitation and maintenance work on the Iraqi section of the Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline had been completed. The official said trial pumping was expected to begin within two weeks as part of preparations for the stable resumption of crude exports.