For many years now Turkey has been undergoing an important transition in the energy sector. The country is highly dependent on imported energy resources, including natural gas and crude oil, and as a result, it has developed and adopted several policies which promote the diversification of sources and, at the same time, decrease the dependency on imported resources. The increase of oil and natural gas exploration activities in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, the construction of the TurkStream pipeline, and the increase of the LNG share in the energy mix can be understood within this framework.
This panel aims at providing a better understanding of the latest developments in the natural gas market in Turkey. Our keynote speaker, Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar will briefly evaluate Turkey’s current policies in the energy sector. Afterwards, Ambassador (ret.) and former National Security Advisor to the German Federal Chancellery Bernd Mützelburg will analyze the United States’ approach to Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream, taking also into consideration the upcoming change in government in the U.S.
Turkey’s latest discoveries in the Black Sea are of great significance for the future of the energy sector. Within this context, Sohbet Karbuz, Director of the Hydrocarbons and the Energy Security Division at the Mediterranean Observatory for Energy (OME) will evaluate the discovery and its aftermath.
Lastly, Gloria Shkurti Özdemir, a researcher at SETA Foundation, will analyze the latest trends in Turkey’s natural gas trade.
