Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28
By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:
Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR may increase investments in expanding the network of filling stations in Turkey in the future, Director General of SOCAR Turkey Enerji A.S. Zaur Gahramanov said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
“SOCAR has filling stations in many countries, but in Turkey our first filling station will be built in the new airport of Istanbul,” he noted. “Starting from this year, nine filling stations of SOCAR will operate in the airport.”
Five of the nine filling stations will be located on the platform, one in the cargo transportation territory, two in the parking lot and one filling station will provide services for taxis, he said.
He added that the presence of filling stations at the Istanbul airport - the biggest airport in the world, is a strategic and important step for SOCAR in promoting its brand.
“We are a company that always evaluates and considers possibilities of carrying out activities in the fuel sector, and we are closely monitoring the developments in the market,” he said.
SOCAR is the sole producer of petroleum products in Azerbaijan. The company also has filling stations in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Switzerland.
SOCAR is represented in Turkey by its subsidiary - SOCAR Turkey Energy. So far, SOCAR Turkey Energy has invested over $14 billion in the Turkish economy. Meanwhile, 5,000 people work in the company, while the annual export potential reaches $3 billion. Among SOCAR’s current assets in Turkey are the Petkim petrochemical complex, STAR refinery and Petlim port.
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