Azernews.Az

BP Plc said it isn`t working on any plan to sell gas stations in Turkey which is a ``very important and strategic`` country for the company, Bloomberg reported.

Azerbaijani state oil company Socar is seeking to buy BP Plc`s network of 599 gas stations in Turkey, Haberturk reported last week.

BP plans to expand its distribution and retail businesses as well as oil and gas pipeline projects in Turkey, Murat Lecompte, a spokesman for BP Turkiye, said in an e-mailed statement.

``BP will celebrate the 100th anniversary of activity in Turkey in 2012. The company has successfully operated in the country, so we`re not going to leave the Turkish market in the next 100 years,`` the company said.

According to earlier reports, Socar and BP Turkey are negotiating and a final agreement is expected to be signed for transfer of BP Turkey`s assets to Socar in the coming days.

If Socar acquires BP Turkey, the company will have a 10 percent stake in the Turkish market of fuel sale, which means that Socar will be among the four largest companies in Turkey dealing with distribution of fuel.

Earlier, Kenan Yavuz, managing director of Socar Turkey Enerji, the Turkish division of Socar, said that his company intends to be involved in selling oil products in Turkey.

Socar is the only producer of oil products in the country and also owns gas stations in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine. Last year Socar purchased a network of gas filling stations in Switzerland. The company is co-owner of the largest Turkish petrochemical complex Petkim, which carries out oil trade in regions across the world through Socar Trading.