Turkey to host energy summit for gas producers, importers in February

Istanbul — The Turkish government is proposing to host an energy summit in February to bring gas supplying countries from around the world together with European importers.

Turkey hopes to involve gas producers from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Caspian Sea region and Central Asia with gas-importing countries in Europe.

Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez announced on Monday that the summit will take place on February 14 and 15 in Istanbul, according to state news agency Anadolu.

International gas markets were upended after Russia, a major gas producer, invaded Ukraine in February. Many countries, including those in the European Union, responded with sanctions on Russian exports, while Russia has also cut off supplies to Europe via pipelines.

Turkey itself is dependent on gas imports, mostly from Russia.

In October, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested developing transshipment and exchange terminals for Russian gas in Turkey, potentially making Turkey a major hub for sales of Russian gas to third countries.

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