ANKARA: Turkey rejects making further reductions in its oil imports from neighbouring Iran, which is under US sanctions over its nuclear programme, the energy ministry said yesterday.
“We have reduced our imports to 105,000 barrels a day from 140,000 barrels. We cannot reduce it any more,” Taner Yildiz told reporters in Ankara.
Iran’s economy has been crippled by a series of UN and US sanctions aimed at bringing an end to its nuclear programme, which the West claims is being used to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the assertion.
Turkey was granted a waiver on Iranian oil by the United States after its biggest refiner Tupras made cuts in its purchases from Tehran. Ankara remains one of the largest customers for Iranian oil.
Meanwhile, Turkey said yesterday it has proposed to mediate a long-running dispute between Baghdad and its autonomous Kurdistan region over dividing oil revenue.
“The system we will establish will certainly help resolve the dispute between the Kurdish regional government and the central government,” Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told reporters in Ankara.
Iraq’s federal government in Baghdad and autonomous Kurdistan have long been divided over how to split energy revenue, which has paralysed development of new oil and gas projects in the region. Turkey is keen on seeing progress on the issue to satisfy its growing energy needs.
AFP
