Turkey's energy import bill up 6 pct in January 2019

Turkey's energy import bill increased by 6 percent to nearly $3.85 billion in January compared to the same month in 2018, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute and Trade Ministry on Thursday.

The data shows that Turkey's overall import bill, including energy and other items, reached $15.67 billion in January, with energy accounting for 24.56 percent.

The country's crude oil imports showed almost a 48 percent increase over the same period compared to January 2018.

Turkey imported approximately 2.18 million tons of crude oil in January, up from 1.47 million tons for the same period in 2018.