President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye could get up to 1 million barrels of oil day under an energy cooperation plan discussed on Tuesday with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Ankara.
Al-Zaidi was in Türkiye for talks on security, trade, energy, transportation and water management, as well as joint infrastructure projects between the two neighbors.
"Our goal now is to sign a comprehensive energy cooperation agreement as soon as possible that will benefit both sides," Erdogan said during a joint press statement with al-Zaidi, noting that a previous agreement between the two countries for the Kirkuk-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline had expired.
Erdogan said Türkiye's state-owned petroleum company, TPAO, would acquire a 15% stake in BP Energy Company of Kirkuk Limited under a separate share-transfer agreement reached Tuesday.
Al-Zaidi, who emerged as a consensus candidate in Iraq after months of deadlock over the premiership following last year's parliamentary elections, was visiting Ankara in the wake of trips to Washington and Tehran.
Following al-Zaidi's talks with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month, U.S. companies signed agreements and partnerships worth around $60 billion with Iraq, including deals intended to create alternative routes for shipping oil out of the Persian Gulf.
One project under consideration is a pipeline that would connect southern Iraq's Basra to western Iraq's Haditha and from there to the Ceyhan port in Türkiye and the port of Baniyas on Syria's coast.
Turkey tries to end conflict with Iraq-based militant group The meeting in Ankara came as Türkiye is engaged in talks to end a decades-long conflict with the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, whose fighters are largely based in northern Iraq.
Last year, the PKK announced it was laying down arms and disbanding as part of the efforts. Türkiye is scheduled to enact legislation to help advance the peace effort, which is expected to include a limited amnesty that could allow some militants' return to Türkiye.
"We are in close dialogue with our Iraqi brothers to ensure that our process of a terror-free Türkiye and our vision of a terror-free region become a reality," Erdogan said. "God willing, we will permanently remove this issue which has imposed heavy costs on both countries from our agenda."