Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said that Turkey's priority is "energy supply security" in response to the US demands to stop the purchase of natural gas and oil from Russia and that energy trade with Russia will continue in this context.
Speaking at the program he attended on CNN Turk, Bayraktar also confirmed that BOTAŞ continues negotiations for the renewal of the Blue Stream natural gas pipeline contract, which is about to expire.
Bayraktar stated that behind the statement of former US President Donald Trump that "do not buy gas and oil from Russia", the strategy of ending the Russia-Ukraine war is.
Bayraktar, Trump's approach, "After all, Russia needs to disappear its financial means to stop a little longer on this issue. Here, it is not about Turkey's gas and oil, which is mainly important, it is about the income that Russia will earn from here," he said.
'We need access to all resources for our security of supply'
Minister Bayraktar emphasized that despite this request of the USA, Turkey's position is clear and energy needs come first.
Stating that Turkey does not have the luxury of saying "gas is over" to its citizens, Bayraktar continued as follows:
“What we have revealed is this: Turkey's supply security. So we don't have a chance to turn around and say to our citizens, 'Sorry, the gas is out'. The needs of our country are increasing tremendously. Therefore, in terms of our supply security, we must provide access to these resources without any discrimination and use them."
Bayraktar stated that they have to buy gas from all available sources, including Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan, especially as the winter season approaches.
Negotiations continue for Blue Stream
Stating that the current agreements with Russia, which has a share of approximately 40 percent in Turkey's natural gas imports, Bayraktar also gave information about the Blue Stream contract, which will expire at the end of this year.
Noting that BOTAŞ has been in the negotiation process for the new contract for a while, Bayraktar said, "These agreements are huge agreements that have been negotiated for a long time, almost with commas, with many elements."
Bayraktar stated that Turkey's energy portfolio may change in the future, but Russia will continue to be a supplier.
Stating that the rates in the supply portfolio may change with the increase in the amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be purchased from the USA after 2027 and the increase in domestic production in the Black Sea, Bayraktar said, "It will continue to be existing countries, but there may be differences in their rates. And we'll look at this: Cheap gas. We need cheap gas," he said.
Minister Bayraktar added that the LNG agreements with the USA have no negative effect on relations with Russia. He stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had a constructive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in China and that energy issues were also discussed in this meeting.
'The private sector makes its own commercial decision'
Minister Bayraktar also clarified Trump's statements about oil imports. Emphasizing that the import of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia in Turkey is completely made by the private sector, Bayraktar stated that the state is not involved in this process.
"I say this for the oil side; private companies, refineries buy crude oil," Bayraktar said, adding that the government has not suggested private companies such as "buy it from here, buy it from here" until today. Bayraktar stated that these decisions are completely commercial and added:
“They also chose their suppliers with their own commercial activities. Turkey buys oil from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and India. This is mainly the decisions of private companies, distributors and refineries.”
Bayraktar stated that the refineries in Turkey are technically designed according to the oil from the countries of the region, which creates a technical necessity for the importation of Russian oil.
The Minister said, "Many of our refineries are designed according to Kirkuk oil. When you think about all this, buying oil from this region brings some technical necessities, but ultimately it is made by these companies as a commercial decision," he added.