Turkish energy minister visits Ashgabat for talks on Turkmen gas purchases

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye Alparslan Bayraktar on Tuesday arrived in Ashgabat to discuss Turkmen gas purchases.

Bayraktar is scheduled to meet with Turkmengaz President Maksat Babayev, Energy Minister Annageldi Saparov, and Turkmengeologiya President Gurbangeldy Garlyev, News.Az reports citing Turkish media.

He is set to be received by Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow the following day.

Prior to the visit, Bayraktar mentioned plans to discuss transporting Turkmen gas to Türkiye via Iran and Azerbaijan, with potential for the gas to reach Europe through Türkiye. He stated that Turkmenistan may initially export 1.5–2.0 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to Türkiye. In March, Türkiye signed a Declaration of Intent for cooperation with Turkmenistan in the natural gas and hydrocarbons sector, and in June, an agreement was signed for Turkmen gas supplies to Türkiye.

Bayraktar noted that significant investments in infrastructure are not needed to transport gas from Turkmenistan to Türkiye via Iran and Azerbaijan. He emphasized that there are no issues with the Azerbaijani side, as BOTAS signed a transit agreement with SOCAR in June. He expressed hope that Iran would take a constructive approach, enabling Turkmen gas to begin flowing to Türkiye next year. He did not rule out the possibility of needing a new gas pipeline in the future.

He also stressed that Türkiye is negotiating liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchase contracts for the period from 2027 to 2037, which will be announced soon. Türkiye’s total gas demand is approximately 50 billion cubic meters per year, and the country is positioning itself as a gas hub with five LNG terminals of varying capacities and an extensive pipeline network.

News.Az