BAGHDAD — Ankara and Baghdad are working toward building a new oil pipeline with the capacity to transport one million barrels per day from Iraq's Kirkuk fields to the Turkish border.

"The Iraqi government is now examining tenders for the new oil pipeline between Iraqi and Turkey, after having finished with the engineering and technical studies," Iraqi Ministry of Oil spokesperson Assem Jihad told Al-Monitor recently. He added that construction will probably get underway in 2020.

“Iraqi crude oil exports reached 111.7 million barrels [in August], 3.6 million of which were transferred" via the existing but damaged line from Kirkuk to Turkey's Ceyhan port on the Mediterranean Sea, he said. "The Ministry of Oil is trying to increase oil exported through Mediterranean ports.” 

Jihad told Al-Monitor, “Iraq is proceeding with the policy of diversifying export outlets and it is trying to provide all that is necessary to ensure continuous oil flow to global markets, to keep up with the increase in production.” These efforts are especially important as US sanctions have been choking off oil from Iran.