Türkiye to purchase natural gas from Oman: minister

ISTANBUL, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye has reached an agreement with Oman to purchase 1.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year.

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez announced the new agreement on Monday while speaking at an energy summit in Istanbul. The agreement is for a period of 10 years, but the minister added that it could be extended if the conditions are favorable.

"In these days when everyone, particularly Europe, is having trouble procuring gas," Donmez said, "Türkiye is taking big steps towards becoming a gas trade center." The next step, he added, is to become a regional trade hub where benchmark prices are determined.

Last year Ankara and Moscow discussed setting Türkiye up as a regional natural gas hub. The TurkStream pipeline between Russia and Türkiye already provides gas to Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Hungary. Enditem