BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye Alparslan Bayraktar, has arrived in Ashgabat for talks on Turkmen gas purchases, TurkicWorld reports.
"Today, July 30, Alparslan Bayraktar will meet with Turkmengaz President Maksat Babayev, Energy Minister Annageldi Saparov, and Turkmengeologiya President Gurbangeldy Garlyev. Tomorrow, the Turkish minister will be received by Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow," reported the Turkish media accompanying the minister.
Ahead of this visit, Bayraktar mentioned that he plans to discuss the details of transporting Turkmen gas to Türkiye via Iran and Azerbaijan. Turkmen gas could potentially reach Europe through Türkiye.
"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," the Turkish minister stated.
In his view, large investments in infrastructure are not needed to transport gas from Turkmenistan to Türkiye via Iran and Azerbaijan.
"There are no issues with the Azerbaijani side; BOTAS signed a transit agreement with SOCAR in June. I hope Iran will also take a constructive approach so that Turkmen gas can begin flowing to Türkiye next year," Bayraktar noted.
He did not rule out the possibility of needing a new gas pipeline in the future.
Bayraktar also mentioned that Türkiye is negotiating liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchase contracts for the period from 2027 to 2037, which will be announced to the public soon.
Türkiye’s total gas demand is approximately 50 billion cubic meters per year. The country is positioning itself as a gas hub with five LNG terminals of varying capacities and an extensive pipeline network.
