Qatar ready to provide in any amount of gas Turkey needs

Despite a deal reached with Qatar on Tuesday, which did not specify the amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be provided for Turkey, in a special interview with Daily Sabah, Qatar's Ankara ambassador Salem Mubarak Al-Shafi said that the world's biggest LNG exporter is ready to provide any amount that Turkey needs. Following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Doha on Tuesday, Daily Sabah discussed Turkey-Qatar relations, which are at a historical peak, with Al-Shafi.

Stressing that the magic behind the strength of the relations has been evoking curiosity internationally and they are ready to take any further steps to consolidate the bilateral relations further, Al-Shafi said, "In this period of crisis, the amount of LNG to be exported is still unclear," adding that "at this time of crisis, we are ready to export any amount our brother state demands." Al-Shafi also expressed that they want to improve relations on a public scale and thus they bilaterally lifted the visa requirements.

Al-Shafi shared information about the energy potential of Qatar, saying, "Currently, we are number one in LNG supply and we rank in third place in terms of reserves. Last year, we exported 1.2 billion cubic meters of LNG to Turkey. Within this year, we are ready to export any amount Turkey demands and we reflected this in the deal we signed."

Turkey's state-owned energy company, BOTAŞ, signed a preliminary agreement on Tuesday with Qatar's national petroleum company to purchase LNG over a long-term period. The agreement, signed during President Erdoğan's visit to the country, foresees the infrastructure for Qatari imports and a terminal to be established in Turkey. Erdoğan was welcomed to the country with an official ceremony by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the eighth and current emir of the state. Details such as price and quantity will be determined in a separate deal.

LNG is natural gas that has been converted to a liquid form for storage or transport purposes and is extensively used for overseas shipments. Qatar, located on a peninsula and bordered only by Saudi Arabia, is the world's largest LNG exporter. The tiny country accounts for around 33 percent of the total LNG supply in the world. The country holds 14 percent of the world's proven natural gas reserves.

The move came after relations between Turkey and Russia were strained after a Turkish F-16 downed a Russian SU-24 bomber jet that breached its airspace on Nov. 24. Russia has announced several economic sanctions, including bans on Turkish vegetables and fruits. While the new sanctions will prevent some Turkish goods from entering Russia and prohibit the employment of Turkish citizens by Russian employers, the energy-dependent economy's governors have not risked cutting the natural gas supply to Turkey.

Doha also plans to invest in different projects in Turkey, according to a Qatari envoy. He noted that there are some projects being discussed for the Afşin - Elbistan region of Turkey concerning an offer to be submitted for a plant in Afşin-Elbistan with Qatar and underlined the importance of developing projects related to crude oil, natural gas and coal together.

In addition, the Qatari ambassador commented on the tense Turkish-Russian relations, hoping that the crisis will be overcome by both parties and the tense relations will get much better in the near future.

Al-Shafi commented more about the secret of the good relations between Turkey and Qatar, saying that Qatar and Turkey approached many political issues in the same way, such as the Arab Spring, with both countries saying that the coup has no place in Egypt. Other Gulf Countries put pressure on Qatar by calling back their ambassadors to their home countries. "Despite all this, we remained loyal to our principles and walked on the same path as Turkey. Also, only Turkey and Qatar are the countries backing the people in Syria. We really appreciate Turkey's brave stance in the region, as well as its approach to the migrant crisis, Syrian people and the regime in Syria," said Al-Shafi.