Iraqi PM visits Turkiye for talks on oil pipeline, water and security
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is in Turkiye with a senior delegation for talks focused on strategic cooperation, security, water and the economy. It is his first visit to the neighbouring country since taking office in May. The trip comes as Baghdad seeks to secure its energy interests and manage wider bilateral issues with Ankara.
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Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said the discussions would cover strategic cooperation alongside security, water and economic matters. A source from Iraq's Ministry of Oil said a technical delegation had arrived in Ankara late last week to try to finalise a one-year extension of the existing oil-export arrangement. That previous deal expired on Monday, leaving Iraq seeking either an extension or a new agreement governing exports through the Iraq-Turkiye pipeline.
The pipeline issue is central to the visit because Iraq wants to resume and increase oil exports through Turkiye after years of suspension. According to the ministry source, the new Turkish terms are difficult for Iraq to accept, and any decision would need approval from the Iraqi Council of Ministers. The source said Turkiye wants the fee raised from $1.35 to $7 per barrel and wants export capacity set at no less than 1.5 million barrels per day.
The talks also reflect Iraq's broader effort to reduce reliance on routes that Baghdad sees as vulnerable. The source said there is an urgent need to find new export outlets away from the Strait of Hormuz, which it said no longer meets Iraq's requirements. That concern has grown in the context of regional tensions, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran in February, which increased the importance of alternative routes for Iraqi crude.
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Relations between Iraq and Turkiye have fluctuated over the past decade, but both governments have kept them high on the agenda because of oil and water resources. The visit also follows Iraq's signing of energy deals estimated at $200bn with US companies during al-Zaidi's trip to the United States earlier this month. Baghdad has said it wants to increase oil and gas production while diversifying export options, making the outcome of the Ankara talks relevant to both energy policy and regional diplomacy.
What remains unclear is whether the two sides can bridge the gap over fees, export capacity and the length of any new arrangement. It is also not yet clear whether the talks will produce an immediate extension, a new pipeline deal, or a broader package covering water and security. The next developments to watch are any official announcement from Baghdad or Ankara and whether the Iraqi cabinet is asked to approve a revised export framework.
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