President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday said it is just a "matter of time" before natural gas produced in Turkmenistan is transported to Türkiye and onward to European markets as part of joint efforts with Azerbaijan.
Türkiye last month announced an agreement had been reached on the supply of gas from Turkmenistan to Türkiye. Early in March, Ankara and Ashgabat signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a letter of intent on gas cooperation.
The supply is envisaged to be made through the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which currently carries gas from Azerbaijan to Türkiye via Georgia and onward to Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
"The transportation of gas to be produced in Turkmenistan to Türkiye and Europe through our joint efforts (with Azerbaijan) and the expansion of TANAP's capacity is now just a matter of time," Erdoğan said.
His remarks were delivered by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar on the sidelines of the 29th Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition in Baku.
"The fruition of our work on these issues in the very near future will undoubtedly be another joint success for Türkiye and Azerbaijan," Erdoğan's message read.
The plan includes carrying the gas on ships to Azerbaijan before pumping it into the pipelines linked to Türkiye.
The initial phase would see transportation of up to 2 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas to Türkiye, Bayraktar said in March.
The two countries have already agreed to double the capacity of the TANAP to 32 billion cubic meters (bcm).
Separately, Azerbaijan and Türkiye extended their gas supply agreement on Tuesday until the end of 2030. It was due to expire at the end of this year.
The deal was signed by the Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ), Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR and Azerbaijan Gas Supply Company (AGSC).
BOTAŞ and SOCAR also signed four agreements on natural gas delivery and exchange.
"With the four agreements signed between BOTAŞ and SOCAR, Azerbaijani gas will be transported to Europe and Nakhchivan via Türkiye and Turkmenistan gas will be delivered to our country," Bayraktar wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Energy security
Erdoğan went on to hail the strong relationship and the role Türkiye and Azerbaijan play when it comes to energy security.
Türkiye has been injecting billions of dollars to expand and strengthen its infrastructure and gas network as it seeks to become a key energy transit route, given its strategic location straddling Europe and Asia and access to the Black Sea.
Erdoğan said cooperation with Azerbaijan, crowned by infrastructure investments such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipelines and TANAP, has not only benefited the two countries but also made significant contributions to the energy security of the region and Europe.
Erdoğan said that the completion of the modernization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which is the backbone of the Middle Corridor that brings the historic Silk Road to life by rail, will increase the capacity of freight transportation by sixfold and is strategic importance for the development of the regional transportation network.
Türkiye and Azerbaijan are also strengthening their cooperation in renewable energy, new technologies and energy source diversification, said the president.
He noted the goal to complete the electricity export project via Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan enclave and the Iğdır-Nakhchivan Natural Gas Pipeline project "as soon as possible."
Türkiye and Azerbaijan are also working resolutely to ensure peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus, he added.
Erdoğan also said that Turkic-speaking countries want to further advance and deepen their cooperation in the energy sector, as well as in political, economic, commercial, security, military, defense industry, transportation, health, education and culture.
He noted that the next summit of the Organization of Turkic States will be hosted by Azerbaijan in the city of Shusha next month.
Erdoğan welcomed the recent positive developments between Azerbaijan and Armenia and reiterated that Türkiye sees the peace agreement to be signed as a historic opportunity for the future of the region.
Erdoğan also recalled that Azerbaijan will host the COP29 summit of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change on Nov. 11-22 and expressed readiness to provide all kinds of support for the conference.