Türkiye and Turkmenistan Plan Collaboration on Oil and Gas Field Development

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar proposed establishing cooperation in the development of oil and gas fields during a meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

Berdimuhamedov expressed a readiness to enhance the partnership with Türkiye in the energy sector, The Caspian Post reports citing Anadolu agency.

There are significant opportunities for cooperation in the oil and gas sector, including extraction, which would further enhance the importance of gas infrastructure, Bayraktar said.

"For this reason, we want to establish a partnership with Turkmenistan in the development of oil and gas fields both within the country and in the Caspian Sea," he said.

On March 1, Türkiye began importing natural gas from Turkmenistan, he said. "Thus, for the first time, we are importing natural gas via pipeline from a country that is not our immediate neighbor. This step is significant not only in terms of diversifying gas imports but also in supplying Turkmen gas to the West, to Europe," he said.

Bayraktar said that he hoped that in the future the construction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline would enable the supply of more natural gas from Turkmenistan to Türkiye and Europe.

Türkiye also intends to expand cooperation in the field of electricity, he said.

As reported by the newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan, one of the most important issues at present is the supply of Turkmen gas to Türkiye and further to other interested states.

Turkish companies are implementing several projects on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea, Berdimuhamedov said.

"The ongoing construction of a power plant will create opportunities for exporting Turkmen electricity across the Caspian Sea to neighboring countries, including Türkiye and other states," Berdimuhamedov said. He confirmed Turkmenistan's readiness to consider specific proposals from the Turkish side on other issues of interest to the country.

During the meeting, it was noted that Türkiye is one of Turkmenistan's largest trade and economic partners and holds a leading position in the country's foreign trade turnover. There are significant opportunities for developing bilateral and regional ties in the fuel and energy, transport and communication, agricultural and investment sectors.

Bayraktar traveled to Turkmenistan to participate in the international conference titled The Role of Interregional Economic Cooperation in Ensuring Sustainable Development.