US fuel purchase from Turkey boost hopes for tenders in Iraq

A convoy of 59 trucks crossed from Turkey into northern Iraq carrying cooking fuel to the Iraqi people on Sunday. The first convoy headed for the city of Mosul but as the number of trucks increases during the coming days, they will make their deliveries to many other cities.

The U.S. Embassy said the fuel is being purchased from Turkish firms and the trucks are rented from Turkish companies, emphasizing that the drivers are Turkish citizens. According to the embassy, the U.S. government is expected to spend, in Turkey, as much as $40 million on propane and transportation.

Evaluating the developments, Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Head Rifat Hisarciklioglu said the start of the fuel shipment from Turkey to Iraq was a positive sign reading that the Turkish companies would not be prevented from participating in tenders in Iraq.

Visiting Washington to meet U.S. officials, Hisarciklioglu believed that the U.S. side wants to look forward in its relations with Turkey. "Trucks of fuel were sent to Iraq from Turkey, there are positive developments. This may be interpreted as a sign that the Turkish companies will not be prevented from doing business in Iraq by the U.S.," he added.

Hisarciklioglu said that many of Iraq’s needs could only be met by Turkey because of its geographical position, emphasizing that the economic relations between the U.S. and Turkey should be developed despite the past problems.

"After a new and democratic structure is set up in Iraq, Turkey wants to see Iraq as one of its major economic partners as it was in the past," he said.

The first convoy of Turkish trucks belongs to Turkish company Tefirom, who won the U.S. tender. Tefirom’s foreign trade manager Ruhi Bashelvaci told the Anatolia news agency that the U.S. Kelloggs Brown and Root awarded the tender to them.

Bashelvaci said that they got the necessary permission from the Turkish Foreign Ministry and General Staff and the first shipments of unleaded gasoline and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) were transported to Iraq as of Monday. He added that they would continuously export gasoline and LPG to Iraq starting from next week.

"We are the first Turkish company that has won a tender in Iraq. Our real business is construction. We are hopeful that we will receive various work from the U.S. in the construction field," Bashelvaci said.