Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar highlighted the rising strategic importance of energy cooperation among Turkic nations at the 5th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Energy Ministers, held in Istanbul.
Bayraktar said the Turkic states share a wide geography stretching across Central Asia, Caucasus, Anatolia, Europe, Black Sea, Balkans and Mediterranean, with "a glorious past, a shared present and a common vision for the future."
Noting that OTS member states possess complementary strengths in energy resources and potential, he said: "One-tenth of the world's natural gas reserves is located in this region."
OTS member states possess over 20 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves, 39 billion barrels of oil, and account for 40% of global uranium production, Bayraktar said, adding that these resources make advancing cooperation in energy and mining essential.
Noting that energy cooperation will boost member economies, welfare and regional stability, Bayraktar said: "The Caspian Sea should unite, not separate, the Turkic world."
He highlighted the "Green Energy Corridor," which aims to transmit renewable electricity from Central Asia west of the Caspian.
Türkiye currently cooperates with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria, while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have also signed an energy agreement, with Kyrgyzstan seeking to join. Bayraktar said these fragmented efforts should merge so that electricity can first reach Türkiye and then Europe.
Bayraktar noted that the objective is to strengthen energy ties on a macro scale, ensuring uninterrupted electricity, natural gas and oil flows from east to west, including work on a broad network stretching from China to Europe and from the Russian border to Cyprus and the Mediterranean.
Responding to questions on projects that can "unite the Turkic world across the Caspian," Bayraktar pointed to electricity transmission across the Caspian and the Trans-Caspian Natural Gas Pipeline.
"Turkmen gas should reach Türkiye and Europe via pipeline rather than swaps. Renewable electricity from eastern OTS members should also be transmitted via Azerbaijan to Türkiye," Bayraktar said.
He said the Trans-Caspian Pipeline, a 30-year vision, is progressing toward concrete steps to deliver natural gas to Türkiye.
"The infrastructure on the western side is ready, and TANAP will play a key strategic role, strengthen Turkic states and be a game changer for European and Mediterranean energy markets," he added.
Highlighting Türkiye's role as a key corridor for Central Asian oil as well as natural gas, Bayraktar said the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline provides direct access to global markets, delivering 600,000–700,000 barrels of oil per day through Ceyhan, which he called "critical for balanced global oil supply."
Reporting by Handan Kazanci
Writing by Humeyra Ayaz
Anadolu Agency
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