Iraq/Kuridstan: Turkey Eyes Oil in Northern Iraq

Mar 2, 2015 | Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International
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Agreements with Iraqi administrations open the door for Turkish oil exploration in the Kurdish north, the Turkish energy minister said Monday.

"We have agreements with Baghdad and [the government in] northern Iraq," Turkish energy minister Taner Yildiz said. "In the frame of these agreements, we will explore for oil there."

The minister offered no estimate of the reserve potential in targeted fields in the Kurdish north of Iraq, nor did he outline which companies would carry out the work.

Though suspended in response to payment rows with the Kurdistan Regional Government, British energy company Gulf Keystone Petroleum has shipped tens of thousands of barrels of oil across the border to Turkey.