Ties that bind in Turkey
Energy and economic interdependence between Turkey and the KRG will transcend political crises
From the air, the extent to which Istanbul is pushing ever outwards becomes clear. The barren hills and wasteland have become construction sites for countless clusters of high-rise apartments buildings. Closer to the airport, tankers unloading petroleum products are a reminder that the oil and gas required to meet the demands of a swelling population must be imported, with 29% of Turkey's oil coming from northern Iraq. This overwhelming reliance on imports (99% for natural gas and 90% for oil) is a matter of concern for the government. No surprise, then, that energy minister Berat Albayrak, unveiling a new strategy for the sector, says one of the goals is to "decrease the country's dependenc
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
