Azerbaijan, Baku, May 10 / Trend, A. Taghiyeva /
Turkey is ready to cooperate with all parties including Cyprus and other EU countries in the development of gas fields in the Mediterranean, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said at the World Energy Forum in Istanbul, TV channel TRT Haber said on Friday.
"Turkey is ready to cooperate in the development of Mediterranean gas infrastructure as well as the transportation of gas extracted in the Mediterranean Sea to the world market by constructing a gas pipeline or liquefied gas supply systems," Gul said.
Gul added that it is necessary to hold negotiations between countries such as Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt and Cyprus on energy cooperation coordination in the Mediterranean Sea.
After Nicosia started developing fields on the shelf off the coast of the divided island in September 2011, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara along with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will begin exploring oil and gas in a special economic zone of Northern Cyprus.
Turkey has repeatedly expressed its categorical protest against such operations, demanding the cancellation of Cypriot plans to develop hydrocarbons.