BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 31. Azerbaijani-Turkish cooperation in the field of energy contributes to the energy security of Europe, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, TurkicWorld reports.

Fidan made the remark during a joint press conference with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Türkiye.

"TANAP already plays a major role in ensuring Europe's energy security. Most of the gas coming through TANAP goes to Europe. In winter, a gas crisis is possible again in Europe due to the war in Ukraine. Our strategic dialogue with Azerbaijan and preparations for the coming years on these issues continue," he said.

"We are negotiating additional gas supplies," Fidan noted.

In addition, the initial capacity of TANAP is 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year, with the possibility of expanding to 31 billion cubic meters per year in the future. Around six billion cubic meters of gas are delivered to Türkiye, while the rest of the volume is supplied to Europe.

Line fill began in the TANAP pipeline across Türkiye in late January 2018.

A ceremony to launch Phase 0 of TANAP took place on June 12, 2018 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. The first commercial gas deliveries to Türkiye commenced on June 30, 2018. The opening ceremony of TANAP’s connection with Europe took place on November 30, 2019 in Ipsala town (Edirne province, Türkiye).

For expansion, it is necessary to add several additional compressor stations in order to achieve a throughput of 24 billion cubic meters per year. To achieve a capacity of 31 billion cubic meters, a total of seven compressor stations will be required.