Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak attended the International Coal Workshop on Friday in Istanbul. Albayrak delivered important messages in the workshop, reacting harshly to those who expressed concerns over Turkey's use of coal reserves. Faced with criticism concerning Turkey's coal use, he emphasized that Turkey is one of the least-polluting countries in the world and will continue to use the resource responsibly. Speaking at the workshop's opening, Albayrak said that Turkey is looking into the potential of further boosting its electricity production through the use of domestic coal, indicating that by 2015 the share of coal production in the electricity generation portfolio had already increased from 12 percent to 16 percent.Albayrak indicated that the near one-third-production increase is not enough, as future projections are even higher. Furthermore, he stressed domestic coal provides both import and employment opportunities, as well as domestic development; thus, making a significant-economical contribution with plans of continuation.Turkey, as a growing country, is a locomotive and dynamo country in the region and holds an important place with its competitive private sector and serious projects. With regard to domestic and renewable resources, Albayrak said that they are giving every kind of support to the sector. "In many basins, we found coal reserves in large proportions. These reserves have another meaning for us. They have a higher calorific value compared to our old reserves. Turkey took a very important step in this framework. In this sense, we obtained very important achievements," he said.Currently taking the first steps on the road with domestic coal, Albayrak said that they increased the share of domestic production in electricity generation. "We are providing a very important contribution to domestic production. In this context, it doesn't matter who said what. As stakeholders, we are aware of the importance of coal. There are also those who are against coal; however, they are not important. As long as developing countries have a demand for coal and utilize it, we will not concern ourselves with criticism. When we look at Europe, 84 percent of its electricity is produced from coal. The U.S. uses 45 percent and the U.K. uses 39 percent with the world average at 40 percent. In Turkey, the domestic share of coal production to support electricity generation increased from 12 percent to 16 percent and suddenly the world is falling apart. With all due respect, we will use this resource." Albayrak continued by saying: "When we look at the limits in the EU criteria and look at a cubic meter of air in particulates, we are below the upper limit. Our ancestors were always ahead in human rights and environmentalism. We will be, too. Turkey is one of the least-polluting countries in the world. We have done a lot of things since the day we arrived."