Ankara's EU ambassador, Faruk Kaymakcı, said energy cooperation would be at the top of the agenda as part of a planned thaw in relations that will include trade talks and political cooperation on wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Hungary, Slovakia and several other countries are actively seeking alternatives to Russian gas after a transit deal through Ukraine expired on Jan. 1.
“We have the Southern Gas Corridor. We have 18 billion cubic meters of gas, coming mainly from Azerbaijan — and we can easily expand this, connecting it to Mediterranean gas. Our role is there, our potential is there,” Kaymakcı said.
The EU-Turkey energy dialogue has been stalled since the 2019 decision, largely due to opposition from Cyprus. Despite this, Turkey remains confident in its potential and suggests that it is up to the EU to take advantage of its energy resources. In addition to transiting Azerbaijani gas and exporting its own reserves, Turkey also imports fuel from Russia through the Turkish Stream pipeline, Moscow's only remaining route to supply Europe after its deal with Ukraine expired.