MESOP NEWS : WILL PUTIN GUARANTEE KRG/KURDISTAN IRAQ OIL FLOW ?

Turkey, Iran, Iraq to jointly decide on closing flow of northern Iraq oil: Erdoğan

ANKARA – 5 Oct 2017 – Hurriyet – Turkey, Iran and Iraq will jointly decide on closing the flow of oil from northern Iraq, Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has said, as the three neighbors mull retaliatory moves after the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) voted for independence.

“In the case of northern Iraq, Iran, Iraq and Turkey will form a tripartite mechanism and will decide on shutting down the oil [from the KRG],” Erdoğan said. The KRG currently exports its oil to international markets via a pipeline that passes through Turkey.

Erdoğan, who was speaking to reporters on his return flight from a one-day trip to Iran, also once again blasted the inclusion of the contested oil-rich city of Kirkuk in the referendum, saying the Kurds “have no legitimacy there.”

Iran and Turkey have already threatened to join Baghdad in imposing economic sanctions on the KRG and have launched joint military exercises with Iraqi troops on their borders after the region’s independence referendum on Sept. 25.

Last month, Russian oil giant Rosneft clinched a gas pipeline deal in the KRG to help it become a major exporter of gas to Turkey and Europe. The pipeline will be constructed in 2019 and exports are projected to begin in 2020. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-iran-iraq-to-jointly-decide-on-closing-flow-of-n-iraq-oil-erdogan-120394