Turkey to be one of Iraq’s key gas export outlets – ministry

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Turkey will be one of the main outlets for Iraqi gas exports in the future after local needs are covered, a spokesman for the Iraqi oil ministry said on Monday. “After Iraq’s gas production reaches the export stage, Turkey will be a main outlet via the Nabucco pipeline to Europe, in addition to the joint Arab gas pipeline,” Assem Jihad told Iraqi News. “Iraq is looking forward to increasing its crude oil production and this should consequently reflect on its gas production in the different oilfields like the Akkas oilfield or those in the province of Basra,” Jihad added. Turkish Minister of Energy & Natural Resources Taner Yildiz had said on Saturday (Sept. 20) that Turkey and Iraq have discussed the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding to export Iraqi natural gas to Europe via the Turkish territories through the Nabucco pipeline whose investments hit 7.9 billion euros. Backed by several European Union (EU) states and the United States, the pipeline network should carry gas from the Caspian Sea and the Middle East to central Europe with the objective of curbing dependence on Russia by the year 2014. The Nabucco pipeline is a planned natural gas pipeline from Erzurum in Turkey to Baumgarten an der March in Austria diversifying the current natural gas suppliers and delivery routes for Europe. AmR (S) 1