CHP's Deniz Yavuzyılmaz reveals: AKP cancels 50-year agreement! Turkey fined $1 billion...

CHP Deputy Chairman and Zonguldak MP Deniz Yavuzyılmaz has reacted sharply to the decision published in the Official Gazette on July 21, 2025, which states that Turkey will withdraw from the oil pipeline agreement signed with Iraq in 1973, effective as of 2026. 

"LET THE INCOMPETENT AKP ADMINISTRATORS PAY"

Yavuzyılmaz stated that Turkey had been transporting oil via the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq without the knowledge of the central government, which led the Iraqi central administration to file an international lawsuit against Turkey. Expressing that the arbitration process concluded against Turkey and that Ankara was fined $1 billion, Yavuzyılmaz emphasized that while the 50-year agreement will end in 2026, the fine remains valid. Yavuzyılmaz expressed his reaction with the words, "Let the incompetent administrators pay the fine."

AK Party has cancelled the 50-year Turkey-Iraq crude oil pipeline agreement!

Let the incompetent AKP administrators who caused this $1 Billion fine, imposed by International Arbitration on Turkey for unauthorized oil transport through this pipeline, pay the penalty!

But why?

?? AK… pic.twitter.com/ZeKIiWALrj

— Deniz Yavuzyılmaz (@yavuzyilmazd) July 21, 2025

Yavuzyılmaz shared the decision from the Official Gazette and BOTAŞ data on his social media account. Criticizing the AKP, Yavuzyılmaz used the following expressions:

"The AK Party has cancelled the 50-year Turkey-Iraq crude oil pipeline agreement! Let the incompetent AKP administrators who caused this $1 billion fine, imposed by International Arbitration on Turkey for unauthorized oil transport through this pipeline, pay the penalty."

Yavuzyılmaz emphasized that between 2014 and 2018, oil was transported via the KRG without the consent of the Iraqi central government, and that the arbitration decision was based on these unauthorized activities.

$1.5 BILLION FINE DECISION AND $500 MILLION RECEIVABLE

Stating that Turkey was sentenced to a total of $1.5 billion in fines according to the Arbitration Court's decision, Yavuzyılmaz also pointed out that Turkey has a $500 million receivable alongside this fine.

Yavuzyılmaz summarized the process as follows:

"With the decision taken by the International Arbitration Court;

Based on the 1973 agreement;

1.) It sentenced Turkey to pay $1.5 billion for transporting oil without authorization.

2.) It decided that Turkey has a $500 million receivable due to being deprived of the pipeline fees it should have received from Iraq each year during that period.

Result; The AK Party botched everything while trying to be clever. It landed Turkey with a $1 billion fine.

At the current exchange rate, the fine is 40 billion Lira!"

AGREEMENT ENDS WITH OFFICIAL GAZETTE DECISION BUT THE FINE REMAINS

Stating that there has been no oil flow from Iraq for 25 months, the CHP deputy reminded that the 1973 pipeline agreement will be exited in July 2026 and that this decision was published in the Official Gazette. However, he emphasized that the $1 billion fine is still valid.

"PAVING THE WAY FOR NEW ARBITRATIONS"

Claiming that the AKP might try to continue its plans to transport oil via the KRG in the future, Yavuzyılmaz argued that the logic of "if there is no 1973 agreement, there is no basis for arbitration and we won't receive new fines" is risky. He argued that this approach could lead to new international lawsuits and punitive sanctions.

At the end of his statement, Yavuzyılmaz included the following remarks:

"It is understood that the AK Party is looking for ways to transport oil via the Kurdistan Regional Government again in the coming years. 

It is acting on the claim that if there is no 1973 agreement, there is no basis for arbitration and we won't receive new fines. 

In other words, it is paving the way for new tricks, new arbitrations, and new fines.

The AK Party is on the path to getting Turkey into trouble again!

Note: How the AK Party transported this oil between 2014-2018 via pipeline or tanker, to which companies, and in exchange for what money is also a matter for the Supreme Council (Yüce Divan)."

News Source: 12punto