After a hiatus of 12 years, AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan returned to Iraq, greeted at Baghdad Airport by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani amidst a backdrop of strained relations due to a longstanding oil pipeline dispute. The visit comes after a significant ruling by an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal, which found Turkey liable for breaching the terms of the 1973 Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP) agreement.
The conflict centers on Turkey’s support for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in exporting crude oil through the pipeline system from northern Iraq to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, despite explicit instructions from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to halt these activities. This unauthorized action led Iraq to initiate ICC arbitration in May 2014, culminating in a recent ruling that ordered Turkey to pay Iraq $1.471 billion in damages, after adjustments for counterclaims.
During his visit, President Erdoğan, accompanied by a delegation of Turkish officials including Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Energy, will engage in critical discussions with both Iraqi President Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Sudani. Topics are expected to cover not only the enforcement of the arbitration ruling but also future compliance with the ITP agreement and broader bilateral relations.
Additionally, agreements are anticipated to be signed, possibly addressing the mechanisms for conflict resolution and cooperation in the oil sector, underscoring the visit’s importance in mending and defining the future contours of Iraqi-Turkish relations. Erdoğan is also scheduled to visit Erbil later in the day, signaling a potential dialogue with the KRG about aligning Kurdish oil exports with federal Iraqi laws and international agreements.
