Iraq's new government, which is actively advocating for an increase in the country's quota within OPEC, has set a target level of oil production for the next six years - 8-10 million barrels per day (bpd), Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said, AFP reported.
"We are working to increase Iraq's quota within OPEC and will strive to reach an indicator of 8-10 million bpd within six years," al-Zaidi said, his office quoted him as saying.
As an argument for increasing the permitted level of oil production, he said: "Iraq is fighting the terrorist group ISIS, protecting the interests of the region and the whole world, therefore it is fair for the country to receive an oil export quota commensurate with the size of its population and the volume of oil reserves".
The country's prime minister noted that recently he has managed to organize oil supplies abroad via alternative routes: exports via the oil pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan are increasing, steps are being taken to resume transmission via the Kirkuk - Baniyas (Syria) and Basra - Aqaba (Jordan) oil pipelines.
Iraq's approved quota within the framework of the OPEC+ agreement for August amounts to 4.405 million barrels per day, and for September - to 4.431 million barrels per day. Moreover, in recent months, oil production in the country has suffered significantly due to difficulties in sales against the backdrop of the blockade of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.