President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar unveiled Türkiye's expanding ambitions to reshape regional energy routes on Friday, promoting new oil, gas and electricity corridors stretching from Central Asia and the Gulf to Europe amid mounting geopolitical instability.
Speaking at the International Natural Resources Summit (INRES) in Istanbul, Bayraktar warned that the world had entered an "age of uncertainty" marked by wars, supply chain disruptions, energy crises and intensifying global competition over critical minerals and strategic infrastructure.
The clearest signal from the summit came through Türkiye's push for alternative energy routes designed to reduce dependence on vulnerable chokepoints and strengthen regional integration.
Bayraktar proposed extending the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline to Basra, saying Iraqi crude would need an alternative export route if instability disrupts shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. He also revealed plans for a major electricity interconnection project running from Saudi Arabia through Jordan and Syria into Türkiye, alongside expanded green energy transmission initiatives linking Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye and Bulgaria.
"We are living in an age of uncertainty. Energy security is becoming more difficult every day," Bayraktar said. "The answer is greater diversification, stronger interconnection and broader cooperation."
Erdoğan said recent geopolitical crises had reinforced Türkiye's strategic role as a bridge between energy-producing nations and consumer markets, adding that Ankara had emerged as both a reliable energy partner and an important diplomatic actor during periods of regional conflict.
The president highlighted Türkiye's rapidly expanding domestic energy capacity, saying daily natural gas production from the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea is expected to more than quadruple by 2028, eventually supplying 17 million households with domestically produced gas.
He also pointed to the Gabar oil discovery in southeastern Türkiye as a turning point for both energy security and regional economic transformation, saying areas once associated with terrorism are now seeing investment, employment and tourism growth.
The summit gathered ministers and senior officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Libya, Moldova, Nigeria, Sudan and Somalia, with discussions centered on energy security, critical minerals, interconnectivity and regional cooperation.
Azerbaijan Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said the 21st century would be defined not only by production capacity but also by supply security and trusted partnerships, while Libya announced plans for nearly $20 billion in energy investments over the next two decades.
