Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 17
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Qatar is ready to ensure Turkey's gas demand and start exporting liquefied natural gas in the volumes required for Ankara, Qatar's ambassador to Turkey Salim Mubarak said, Anadolu reported Dec. 17.
Doha and Ankara signed an agreement on supplying some 1.2 billion cubic meters of liquefied gas to Turkey. The agreement was signed during the Turkish president's visit to Qatar in early December.
Earlier, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said that in case if Russia suspends gas supply to Turkey, it has alternatives to Russian gas.
Russia accounts for 50 percent of Turkey's total gas import.
Simsek said it is not ruled out that Ankara can think about additional import of liquefied gas.
Relations between Russia and Turkey have deteriorated after Turkish Air Force jets shot down the Russian SU-24 bomber when it entered Turkish airspace Nov. 24.
Turkey imports gas from Azerbaijan via the South Caucasus gas pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum). The country has signed a contract for purchasing 6.6 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field.
Currently, Turkey imports gas from Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan. Moreover, it has a contract with Algeria and Nigeria to buy 4.4 billion cubic meters and 1.2 billion cubic meters of liquefied gas per year, respectively.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu