Turkey Keen to Import More Oil, Gas From Iran

Turkey is keen to buy more oil and gas from Iran to meet its growing energy demand, Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said.

The Turkish minister said that Ankara spent $4.5bln for importing natural gas and $3.1bln for importing crude oil from Iran in 2013, and intends to increase its trade exchange level with Iran, Fars News Agency reported.

Earlier this week, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh arrived in the Turkish capital to enhance bilateral energy ties and cooperation between Tehran and Ankara, Fars News added.

In December last year, Yildiz had said that Turkey will continue to imports natural gas from Iran. "Iran is our neighbor and brother country. We will continue our natural gas trade,” he told Turkish-language news network Kanal 24.

Turkey imports more than 90 percent of its oil and gas.

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