A senior Turkish official stated that Turkey is unwilling to extend the current Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline agreement with Iraq under its existing terms. This comes after Baghdad requested Ankara to extend it for at least one year to allow for
further negotiations. The crude oil pipeline agreement between Turkey and Iraq is set to expire on July 27th, while discussions between the two parties on a new draft agreement are still ongoing. The current agreement, which governs oil exports via
the pipeline, dates back decades. Responding to a question regarding Iraq's request for an extension, the Turkish official, who preferred anonymity, affirmed, "There is no benefit in extending an agreement that has already been subject to arbitration." Previously, Ali Nazar,
director of the Iraqi state oil marketing company SOMO, had stated that Iraq formally requested Turkey to extend the current Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline agreement for at least one year. The aim is to provide additional time to negotiate a new
alternative agreement. Nazar also noted, in statements published on the company's official website, that Iraqi oil exports from southern ports reached 12 million barrels of crude since the beginning of June. He clarified that the Iraqi government submitted an official
request to Ankara for more time to conduct talks concerning a new agreement for the main export route.
