Türkiye seeks to conclude a broad energy cooperation agreement with neighboring Iraq following talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi in the Turkish capital, President Tayyip Erdogan said, according to Reuters.

At a joint news conference following a signing ceremony that had been expected to include an agreement to keep the Kirkuk‑Ceyhan crude oil pipeline open for another year, President Erdogan said Türkiye’s state‑owned energy company Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO) would take on operations in the Kirkuk oilfield currently used by BP.

The two sides did not finalize an extension of the decades‑old pipeline agreement, which regulates exports through the Kirkuk‑Ceyhan line and officially expired on July 27.

After signing three cooperation accords in various fields, President Tayyip Erdogan said additional agreements were expected. However, his ministers abruptly briefed him on stage, and the two leaders moved directly to their remarks without signing further deals.

“The Iraq-Turkey crude oil pipeline agreement ended yesterday. We aim to sign a comprehensive energy cooperation agreement that will benefit both sides ​as soon as ​possible,” Erdogan said.

In a statement posted on X, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said TPAO had acquired a 15% stake in BP Energy Company of Kirkuk Limited (BPECKL), noting that the deal would enable the Turkish firm to operate in the field.

“It will work together with BPECKL partners to bring the approximately ⁠three billion ​barrel (bbbl) reserve potential into production,” Bayraktar ​said.

BP confirmed the transaction and said it welcomed the partnership with TPAO.

BPECKL is the contractor under a development and production agreement with Iraq’s North Oil Company (NOC) and North Gas Company (NGC), covering the rehabilitation and redevelopment of several major oil fields in Kirkuk.