Turkey Can Transit Gas To Third Countries Via Bulgaria Under New Deal - Energy Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th January, 2023) Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez has not ruled out that the country may organize gas deliveries via Bulgaria to third countries, including in Europe, under a new energy deal.

On Tuesday, Turkey and Bulgaria signed a 13-year gas deal which provides Bulgaria with access to Turkey's liquefied natural gas terminals and transit network, in what they expect to become an alternatives to Russian gas for southeastern European countries. The annual contracted amount is 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas.

"Now, with this agreement, I can say that we have actually started to reap the first fruits of this.

It will be possible to transfer gas not only to Bulgaria, but also to other neighboring countries through Bulgaria," Donmez told Turkish news agency Anadolu in an interview published on Wednesday.

In total, Turkey expects to supply up to 20 billion cubic meters of gas under the new contract with Bulgaria, the minister was cited as saying.

The official also said that Turkey "will contribute to the security of Bulgaria's energy supplies," as quoted in the report, adding that the deal also "opens the door to wider gas trade" with Europe.