Baghdad had insisted that the Kurds do not have the right to make deals with private oil firms without its approval. The move is expected to contribute to regional economic cooperation between Turkey and northern Iraq, which up until lately had strained ties due to Turkey's allegations that the northern Iraqi administration allowed the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to operate in the region and use it as a launch pad to carry out attacks in Turkey. It is also expected that developing economic ties with northern Iraq will contribute significantly to the settlement of Turkey's Kurdish problem.On the start of crude oil exports from northern Iraq to the European market via Turkey, Yeni Şafak's Fehmi Koru says the northern part of Iraq is getting closer to Turkey and that the Kurds are striving to establish more sincere relations with Turkey than with Baghdad. “The destination of the oil which began to flow from northern Iraq on Monday is Turkey's Yumurtalık, and this move was made at the cost of saddening Baghdad,” says Koru.
According to Akşam's Hüsnü Mahalli, Monday's event was a historic one for both Turks and Kurds, and Turkey has become like the heart of Kurdistan. He thinks the fate of Kurdish oil resources will from now on be determined by Turkey and that the oil to be extracted by other companies in the region has to be transferred through Turkey. “Now, Turks will establish refineries in the region for the processing of Kurdish oil. Cooperation in this field will grow further and will become deeper and more diverse,” says Mahalli. In his view, economic cooperation between Turkey and northern Iraq will naturally expand to the political and social fields, and this will contribute to the settlement of Turkey's long-standing Kurdish problem and its PKK problem. “This is the reason the oil move came exactly at the right time,” says Mahalli.
Radikal's Cengiz Çandar also thinks the day when oil was extracted for the first time from northern Iraq since the start of the Iraq war in 2003 and transported to Europe via Turkey was a historic day. He says one should not be surprised if Turkey soon begins to mediate between Baghdad and Arbil over the energy issue because the joint future of Turkey, Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan will be a result of joint interests.
Sabah's Erdal Şafak thinks Monday's event has showed Turkey is a shelter for northern Iraq, where it seeks protection as well as a gateway to the world. “It is necessary to evaluate Turkey's Kurdish initiative within and outside its borders in the wake of these parameters,” he notes.
