Iraq’s government declared desire to hold talks with Turkey over the possibility of transporting oil once more from federal territory to reach a port located on the Mediterranean Sea, United Press International (UPI) reported

The Iraqi Minister of Oil, Jabar al-Luaibi, plans to visit Turkey at the invitation of the Turkish oil minister to discuss the matter to have the oil moved via the Turkish Ceyhan Port, Reuters informed.

Iraqi oil exports to the north have stopped since Iraqi forces took control of the Avana and Bai Hasan oilfields northwest of Kirkuk, as the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters withdrew from the region.

Luaibi’s visit aims at reaching an agreement to continue shipping Iraqi crude “exclusively through Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO”, said Asim Jihad, Spokesman of the Iraqi Oil Ministry.

Additionally, Iraq is set to establish a new export pipeline from the Kirkuk oilfields, to replace the old damaged section of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. The new pipeline will connect oilfields near Kirkuk to the Fish-Khabur border area with Turkey.