Turkey to play Russian card on possible reflection of embargo on Iran
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız has said that if a possible situation arises from the economic embargo on Iran which would prevent oil and natural gas purchases by Turkey, the issue will be resolved by shifting the focus to Russia,Today's Zaman newspaper reported.
Yıldız told journalists over the weekend in Kayseri that "as a result of a possible reflection of the embargo on Iran, we plan on solving the issue by seeking supplies from different countries, including Russia."
Responding to a question by a reporter asking if there would be power cuts during the winter, Yıldız reiterated that Turkey's electricity network is Europe's third largest and emphasized that power cuts should be seen as normal in Turkey since such power cuts are experienced in even the most developed countries in the world such as the US and Russia.
In addition, he complained that Turkey consumed 44 billion cubic meters of natural gas last year, which is predicted to increase to 48 billion cubic meters this year, though the demand for gas from the industrial sector was 54 billion cubic meters. He said these high numbers were a result of a miscalculation of industries which request gas from the private sector as well and the state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) at the same time.
"There is no difficulty in meeting the demand but there are problems in managing the expectations. With the existing contracts for 48 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas [LNG], the demand for natural gas can easily be provided," he added.