Erdogan decides to organize gas exports to the EU, bypassing Russia.

On December 14, Turkish President Recep Erdogan will discuss with the presidents of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan the possibility of exporting Turkmen gas through his country to the EU, writes Bloomberg. The idea is to transport gas across the Caspian Sea by tankers to Azerbaijan, then through the Southern Gas Corridor to Turkey, and then to Europe. It is noted that Turkey aims to become a key energy transit route due to its strategic location in Europe and Asia and its control of the Black Sea. To do this, it plans to double the capacity of the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP). Azerbaijan already exports gas to Europe, while Turkmenistan’s vast resources remain largely untapped. The proven reserves of Turkmen gas amount to 13.6 trillion cubic meters at the end of 2020. This is about a third of Russian reserves.