Iraq and Turkey Negotiate Protocol to Maintain Oil Exports

The Government of Iraq and the Government of Turkey have agreed to initiate technical and legal discussions to establish a transitional executive protocol. This agreement follows a diplomatic visit by an Iraqi delegation to Ankara aimed at securing the future of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline and expanding broader energy cooperation between the two nations.

According to Iraq's foreign ministry, the proposed protocol serves as a temporary measure to ensure the uninterrupted flow of Iraqi oil exports, specifically including crude oil originating from the Kurdistan region. This transitional framework will remain in place while both governments work to finalize a new comprehensive energy agreement, which is expected to be completed within one year of the current deal's expiration.

The strengthening energy and diplomatic partnership between Baghdad and Ankara has triggered security and strategic concerns for a trilateral alliance consisting of Israel, Cyprus, and Greece. This alliance views the deepening cooperation as an expansion of Turkish regional influence. In response, these three nations are pursuing the development of alternative energy projects designed to bypass Turkish territory entirely, attempting to reduce the region's dependence on Turkish infrastructure and deter Ankara's growing role in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern energy dynamics.