Baghdad: Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi affirmed on Saturday that the crude oil export pipeline project is of great strategic importance to Iraq. He also directed the acceleration of the implementation of the strategic oil pipeline project (Basra-Haditha-Fishkhabur) and (Haditha-Banias).

According to Iraqi News Agency, the Prime Minister’s Media Office stated in a press release that “Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi chaired a joint meeting on Saturday that included the Minister of Oil, senior ministry officials, the Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, and representatives of several companies implementing the strategic oil pipeline project (Basra-Haditha-Fishkhabur) and (Haditha-Banias).”

The statement added that “during the meeting, al-Zaidi reviewed the technical and economic details of the project, its long-term developmental impacts, as well as the export routes and the expected volumes of oil to be exported through the two pipelines.”

According to the statement, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Oil to “expedite the commencement of the project,” directing the ministry to “provide the best conditions and necessary requirements for the implementing companies to ensure the project’s completion according to the highest standards.”

Al-Zaidi stressed that “the crude oil export pipeline project is of great strategic importance to Iraq, as it provides diversification of export routes and enhances export capacity, serving Iraq’s economic and development interests now and in the future.”