A group of senior Turkish and Iraqi officials are meeting in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to discuss cooperation files in the fields of energy, security, and defense, as part of the two countries’ efforts to strengthen their intertwined relations.

The meeting will witness cooperation in the field of energy by discussing the resumption of oil flows through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, which was halted after the issuance of an arbitration decision requiring Ankara to pay compensation to Baghdad for unlicensed exports, and discussing opportunities for cooperation in the field of gas and renewable energy.

The spokesman for the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oncu Kilici, confirmed Turkey’s readiness to resume oil flows through the pipeline as soon as the pipeline maintenance assessment is completed, while emphasizing understanding of Iraq’s position in this regard, while Iraq stressed the need to reach consensual solutions regarding outstanding issues such as water. And the border with Turkey.

Kilici revealed the possibility of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visiting Baghdad during the spring. This visit comes in the context of the two countries’ efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and overcome outstanding differences.

This upcoming summit is an opportunity to enhance cooperation between Turkey and Iraq in the fields of energy, security and defense, but it faces challenges represented by the accumulated disagreements between the two countries over sensitive files. Which requires a strong political will to resolve it and develop stable bilateral relations.