A top Turkish official said on Friday that the recent Iran-centered conflict once again demonstrated the importance of energy security and revealed how fragile the global economy can be.
Addressing the 2nd Istanbul Natural Resources Summit (INRES 2026), Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said that in an era marked by wars and major economic upheavals, and the entry into the age of artificial intelligence and a succession of major technological advancements, "the world is undergoing a critical energy transition."
"The recent war centered around Iran has once again demonstrated the importance of energy security and how fragile the global economy can be in this regard," Bayraktar said.
Moreover, he underscored that Türkiye emerged as one of the countries best-prepared to withstand the crisis.
"Since 2002, thanks to the strong political will you have demonstrated and the policies we have implemented under your leadership, Türkiye has become one of the countries that faced this crisis in the most prepared and resilient manner," he further said, referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Moreover, he suggested that the National Energy and Mining Policy "became the main road map for our vision of a 'Fully Independent Türkiye in Energy and Mining.'"
Also noting that Türkiye possesses one of the world’s largest deep-sea drilling fleets and is conducting oil and gas exploration both domestically and abroad, Bayraktar said, "We explored areas on land that had never been visited before, carried out seismic surveys and drilling operations, and continue to do so."
In line with this, he also recalled "historic discoveries" in Sakarya and Gabar regions, referring to vast gas and oil reserves on the country's northern coast and in Şırnak province.
Furthermore, pointing to energy transition and technological shifts, he said that as Türkiye, "we are also preparing a new energy architecture for our country in this new era."
"Our primary goal here is to position Türkiye as a central nation that has ended its dependence on foreign energy, strengthened its energy security, and enhanced regional integration," he added.
He added that under the new energy architecture, Türkiye plans to maximize the capacity of strategically important oil and natural gas pipelines such as TANAP, TurkStream, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline and the Iraq-Türkiye Crude Oil Pipeline, all of which play key roles in the energy supply security of both Türkiye and the wider region.
"We will strengthen our energy ties by developing additional infrastructure projects with neighboring and regional countries in oil, natural gas and electricity under a win-win approach," he said.
"Extending the Iraq-Türkiye Oil Pipeline to Basra and transporting Turkmenistan’s natural gas to Türkiye and Europe via the Trans-Caspian Natural Gas Pipeline will be among the key priorities of this new era," he maintained.
Türkiye is also aiming for multi-faceted integration in the electricity sector, Bayraktar said.
"Through the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye-Bulgaria Green Electricity Transmission Agreement we signed in Baku last year, we aim to deliver renewable energy generated in Azerbaijan to Europe," he explained.
He noted that the country is also working on a mega power transmission line that will stretch from Saudi Arabia to Türkiye and integrate with neighboring countries in the region. "We believe this will serve as an alternative energy corridor for both our country and Europe."
Türkiye's new energy architecture will feature greater connectivity and more infrastructure projects, he added.
"By developing our liquefied natural gas infrastructure, we will be able to supply higher volumes of LNG to Southeast Europe and our other neighbors," he said.
Highlighting the growing role of electricity, Bayraktar said: "Electricity lies at the center of our new energy architecture."
"Therefore, we will raise our renewable energy targets even higher. In this context, we foresee a total investment of $30 billion for a strong grid infrastructure required by our advanced renewable energy portfolio."
He also said Türkiye views nuclear energy, with its baseload generation capability, as "not a choice, but a necessity" for supply security.
"The process that began with Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant will open the door to the nuclear era in Türkiye’s energy history," said the minister.
Bayraktar also emphasized Türkiye’s goal of becoming "a manufacturing hub" during the energy transition process.
"For this reason, we attach great importance to investments in rare earth elements and critical minerals. We aim to increase investments in R&D and technology while supporting the development of the domestic industry," he said.
Noting that rare earth elements form the backbone of many strategic sectors ranging from energy technologies and battery systems to electric vehicles and the defense industry, Bayraktar said the foundation of an industrial facility at the pilot rare earth elements site in Beylikova would soon be laid.
He added that Türkiye views energy not only as a driver of economic growth, but also as a key to regional peace, stability and shared prosperity.
