Türkiye's quest to become a key country in energy

In conjunction with the discussions about the possibility of Türkiye becoming an energy center, I will highlight a report published by the Center for Political, Economic and Social Studies “SITA” in 2016, under the title “Türkiye’s efforts to become a central country in the field of energy”, which I prepared in partnership with “ Seyithan Ahmet Ateş, Salihe Kaya and Mehmet Kızılkaya.

At that time, we touched on the position that Türkiye has reached in the field of energy, as the report stated:

"Türkiye is a neighboring country to the Middle East, Asia, and the Caucasus, which has large and rich reserves of oil and natural gas, but it has not been able to transform its distinguished geographical position to benefit from it in the field of energy for years. Although Türkiye is a neighbor of countries that have energy resources, Türkiye has remained in a position where it bears the cost of the region in which it lives rather than benefiting from its geopolitical position.”

Nowadays, Türkiye is well positioned to be a hub in the field of energy, especially natural gas, thanks to its advantageous geographical location.

In conjunction with the energy crisis in Europe as a result of the Ukrainian war, Türkiye's geopolitical position strengthens its position to become an energy center in order to transfer energy resources to international markets through its territory.

In this regard, European countries that depend on Russian gas have begun to search for alternatives to importing energy resources, as the problem of energy supply security has emerged on their agenda. In conjunction with the European countries' search for alternatives, Türkiye has become the most prominent way to transfer energy.

On the other hand, Moscow wants not to lose the European market, which is the largest importer of Russian gas. It also wants to continue to be the main player in the global energy equation as a result of possessing the world's largest natural gas reserves. For this reason, Russia wants to be present in the energy market of European countries through Türkiye.

Türkiye also enjoys being a central country and a transportation route between countries that own energy resources and countries that consume energy resources, and this advantage allows for securing energy supplies in a reliable and permanent way.

Türkiye's strategic location also makes it an indispensable alternative to energy-exporting countries and energy-importing countries.

Türkiye's efforts to become a central country in the field of energy

Returning to the report I mentioned at the beginning of the article, published in the Center for Political, Economic and Social Studies “SITA” in 2016, Türkiye has many characteristics that allow it to become a central country in the field of energy, including:

The Southern Gas Corridor project provides for the transportation of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Türkiye via the Trans-Anatolian TANAP pipeline and the transportation of gas to the European market via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline TAP.

The TurkStream gas pipeline, which transports gas from Russia to Türkiye and European countries, allows Türkiye to be a potential central country because it will become a bridge between European countries and Russia.

The natural gas coming from Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, the eastern Mediterranean, and other countries to Türkiye provides the opportunity to ensure diversity in natural gas, which enhances Türkiye's importance and position as a central country.

The LNG resources, which are becoming more important every day and provide diversity in the country and resources, strengthen Türkiye's position as an energy hub.

When Türkiye becomes a central country in the field of energy, a new era will begin for the new energy equation to be formed. It will also begin a new era of ensuring the security of energy supplies.