Iraq wins lawsuit related to oil exports through Turkey
A worker at the Tawke oil refinery in northern Iraq
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Oil welcomed on Saturday a decision issued by a court in Paris that ruled in favor of Baghdad against Kurdistan’s oil exports through Turkey, the state news agency (INA) mentioned.
A statement issued by the Oil Ministry mentioned that the lawsuit was filed by Iraq against Turkey for violating the provisions of the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline agreement signed in 1973.
The Iraqi-Turkish pipeline agreement stipulates that the Turkish government must abide by the instructions of the Iraqi side regarding the movement of crude oil exported from Iraq.
The ministry indicated that the decision does not constitute an obstacle to the development and expansion of bilateral relations while Iraq retains its constitutional powers and sovereignty over its wealth.
The Oil Ministry clarified that it will discuss the mechanism of exporting Iraqi oil through Turkey’s Ceyhan port with the concerned entities in the Kurdistan region and the Turkish authorities to guarantee continuation of oil exports.
“The decision of the French court in favor of the Iraqi federal government against Turkey will not impede our relations with the Iraqi federal government,” the spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Lawk Ghafuri, said.
“In this context, we will visit Baghdad for dialogue and resolving related issues,” Ghafuri added.